From My Heart To Yours
by JkawaiiNeko
Summary: Haruhi was the new girl in school when six handsome "commoners" get scholarships. Turns out she has a lot to learn about these boys and a little about herself along the way. Maybe, this poor little rich girl could even fall in love. HikaHaru AU
1. First Day Blues

**Well, as I promised, here is the first chapter of the HikaHaru story. I'm on a roll, ne? I hope that you guys enjoy this. **

**I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta .tofu-melon! She's so freakin' awesome! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters...though I wish I owned Tamaki's heart. (evil laughter) **

* * *

Fujioka Haruhi stared at herself in the body long mirror in her room. The long dress that was as yellow as buttercups flowed down to her ankles, billowing out at the bottom beautifully and accenting her brown new shoes. The white collar and red tie in the middle completed the outfit.

Her new Ouran Academy uniform.

She debated on whether or not to style her hair in any way- a red or yellow ribbon? A simple braid going down the side, or a small ponytail on one side?

After contemplating this she shrugged and walked away from the mirror without giving another thought to her hair. It was short now anyways. What would be the point in styling it? A small smile tugged at her lips. Shorter hair was better because she did not have to do anything to it, it was much more manageable. At that point Haruhi decided that she would wear her hair short for awhile.

She walked around the corner and stopped when she spotted a maid fluffing a pillow in one of the many living rooms of her home. "Ah...excuse me. Kotoko-san, is it?" she asked. Haruhi tried to remember all of the names of her maids and butlers, but it was always a hard task to come by considering it seemed as if they hired new servants every hour of the day.

The young maid looked up, smiled and nodded. "Fujioka-san, is there something I can do for you? Your limo is waiting for you, if that's what you were wondering."

"I was actually wondering where my father was." Haruhi replied, tugging at her dress unconsciously as she spoke. She had never been quite fond of wearing dresses, though she was always required to do so- perhaps that was the reason why.

Kotoko's smile wavered for a second, but soon she easily feigned cheerfulness again and shook her head. "I'm afraid that your father hasn't returned from his trip yet."

"He said he was going to see me off to my first day of school..." Haruhi muttered, more to herself than to the maid, her face hardening a bit.

Kotoko opened her mouth to say something, but did not and would not ever get the chance because in a flurry of white skirts and a loud voice Haruhi was swept away by none other than her own personal teacher/maid Motosuwa Chigusa.

"Haruhi-san. I've never been the one to scorn you or anything along those lines..." (which was a complete and total lie) "but you never cease to amaze me. To be prompt is to be smart. I've always taught you that. I suppose being late to Ouran is your way of being rebellious? Such a shame you are sometimes."

Haruhi did not reply. By now she knew that when Chigusa was on a role, there was nothing that could change her mind. Chigusa was like her adoptive mother ever since the day her own biological mother had pasted away. Since her father was almost always away on business Chigusa filled in the roles of both father and mother. Haruhi loved her for it, but sometimes Chigusa could be a handful.

She wasted no time in ushering Haruhi into her vehicle, clucking her teeth and shaking her head, though by now it was only a pretend anger that Chigusa was showing. When Haruhi was secure and comfortable in the back of the flashy white vehicle Chigusa gave a small smile and ruffled Haruhi's hair affectionately.

"Your mother would be so proud..." she whispered.

Haruhi gave her what she hoped was a sad yet happy smile. The truth was, Haruhi did not feel as if she had made anyone proud at all. Getting into Ouran was not something she felt a sense of pride about. Even if she had failed the admission exam she would've still been allowed into the school because of her family's status in Japan. They were rich. Ouran was a school for rich kids and other than Lobelia, Haruhi's father and Chigusa and even her mother had always planned on her going to this school.

She hadn't worked hard for it. This was all planned out, just like the rest of her life.

"Dad's not going to make it, is he?" she asked, a coldness to her voice that she hadn't purposely come out.

Chigusa's smile faltered. "We got a call this morning...he said he wouldn't be able to make it on account of-"

"Of course not." Haruhi cut in, turning her head in the opposite direction so that she wouldn't have to look at Chigusa' expression. "It's fine. He'll come this weekend."

"Of course!" Chigusa brightened and nodded, taking her body out of the vehicle and closing the door. "Have a wonderful day at school Haruhi-san."

'Right...' Haruhi thought blankly but smiled cutely and nodded, just as she had been taught to do. Even when she was feeling down, Haruhi was never allowed to show just how much she was hurting. She was, after all, a Fujioka. She was the daughter of one of the richest men in Japan.

The only thing wrong with that...was that she _hated _it.

* * *

The incessant chatter that was going on in the classroom was probably more than Haruhi had ever heard. All of her father's parties had involved the adults standing in small groups, talking in indoor voices. Of course, if the adults weren't interested in doing that they were always interested in making her feel like a butterfly under a magnifying glass while she pretended to be the polite little marry-worthy daughter she was supposed to be.

When the teacher had first introduced her, they had cut the chatting and stared at her with wide eyes. She could've sworn she had heard a low whistle but subjected to thinking that it was only her imagination as she found an available seat. Choosing not to sit with anyone, she sat in between two other empty desks.

Once she had been seated the class once again erupted into a loud and unexplainable babble that Haruhi had to try her best to ignore. The teacher was busy writing the day's lesson on the board and did not say anything to calm the class down.

Haruhi sighed and tuned into the conversations. What surprised her was that they all seemed to be fairly similar.

"Did you see them?"

"Their sort of...handsome, in a way. A rugged way, perhaps."

"Did you see the tall one?"

"Did you see the short one?"

"Did you see the twins?"

Haruhi blinked. Twins were rare to come across, sure, but the way that person had said it...something was definitely off about these conversations. Why did they sound so awed over a tall person, a short person?

"Did you see the _commoners_?"

Haruhi flinched. Commoners? Haruhi twisted, prepared to finally use her voice and join in the conversation, prepared to ask what the heck they were talking about. But the moment she opened her mouth the room fell into a strange, sudden and complete silence.

Haruhi, shocked and a bit scared by the sudden silence, turned back around and looked forward as all the other students were doing.

Twins.

Like everyone else's, Haruhi's eyes widened just a bit at the sight of them. They were slender boys with red hair and golden, scrutinizing eyes. This would not have been so strange, had it not been for their outfits. They were not wearing the Ouran uniform. They wore matching jeans and shirts, their shirts nothing special at all. In fact, if you looked close enough you could see that one of the boy's pants were stitched up just at the bottom. Their gym shoes were dirty and caked with what a lot of the girls in the classroom prayed wasn't mud. Of course, it was.

The teacher was blinking, apparently trying to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not. Once he realized that these two were really standing in front of him, he gave an awkward smile and fumbled for the right words. "I...I suppose you two are the transfer students?"

"Who else would we be?" came his answer from the two simultaneously. The class gave a collective gasp. The teacher seemed to almost fall over in shock.

Instead, he cleared his throat and said sternly, "Then I suppose you won't mind introducing yourselves."

The twins rolled their eyes, turned to the class and said together, "We're Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Anything you would like the class to know about you?"

"No."

"...alright then." the teacher seemed somewhat thrown off by the boys blunt and rude manner. Never before had he come across two people that were so...impossible. All of the children at Ouran had been raised to be polite and respectable people. Obviously, these transfer students did not have that sort of upbringing. "Class...Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun are here from the special scholarship that our director has given out. Since they are in our class, it's obvious that these two are very smart. Please treat them kindly."

The class did not chorus a "hai!" or "un!," for there was complete silence as Hikaru and Kaoru made their way to the only two available seats left in the classroom.

Haruhi could feel herself becoming hot. Why was it that these boys were making her so nervous? Their eyes were penetrating her, and suddenly she _knew _why they and everyone else was staring at her so hardly.

She was occupying the only space where they could be next to each other.

Haruhi was totally prepared to move out of their way but then something in her mind awakened.

Why should she move? She had been sitting here first after all. Unless they asked her nicely, she refused to move. And she could bet a million dollars that they would _not _ask nicely.

The room was completely still when the Hitachiin twins stared down at Haruhi and in return she stared up at them. She, unfortunately, was the first to blink.

"Aren't you going to move?" they asked, their voices dripping with something that made her want to shiver.

"Not unless you ask me to politely."

They stared at her with blank expressions, and Haruhi could tell what they were thinking. They were wondering if it was a good idea to be rude to her. Finally, they spoke.

"Can you move?"

Haruhi sighed, figuring that that was as far to polite as they were going to get. She moved her stuff to the seat down and the two boys slowly slipped into the two empty seats. The one that was sitting right next to her cast a glance her way before quickly back ahead.

The class muttered and buzzed while Haruhi grew increasingly uncomfortable. The teacher, finally out of his daze from his new students bizarre attitudes, gained control of the class and started to teach.

The rest of the period was numbly uneventful. Haruhi couldn't help but notice that one of the twins paid more attention to the lesson than the other did. The one not paying much attention continually passed his brother notes.

It wasn't until lunch time that Haruhi saw the rest of them. She was new, so she obviously did not have any friends to sit with. Even though she did have some of the others from middle school, she realized that she had no intention of sitting with them. The little people she had talked to that day were not in the same lunch period as her, so she would have to find someone to sit with.

Haruhi looked around, her tray of wonderful smelling food in her hands. That's when she saw them: the Hitachiin twins were sitting at a table by themselves. The news of their attitudes had quickly spread across the entire school, and people whispered behind their backs, wondering what their problem was.

That's when the blond showed up.

His sparkling blue eyes twinkled when he saw the Hitachiin twins. He practically ran over to the table and slammed his bag of what Haruhi guessed was his lunch down onto the table. The twins did not look up at him no matter how much of a spectacle the blond made of himself.

Haruhi sat at the end of a fairly occupied table, not really interested in the people sitting there but she figured that it was at least a good place to sit. Besides, she could see the action easily from here.

The perceptive girl did not fail to notice a raven-haired boy with glasses that, upon seeing Tamaki, tried to make a u-turn out of there. Haruhi almost laughed out loud- his face was momentarily covered in pure fear.

"Ah! Kyouya! You're here too?! Come and sit with us!"

The blond was so loud that he could be heard from across the lunchroom. The spectacled boy visibly twitched before turning back around and making his way to the table.

Finally, the last of the scholarship students came into the lunchroom. "Oh, look! It's Tama-chan!"

"Honey-sempai! Welcome!"

The lunchroom buzzed with chatter. The small blond and the tall senior were making their way over to the table. "So all of the commoners know each other, eh?"

Haruhi looked over to the people at their table. A girl nodded and said, sympathy lacing her words, "I hear that the commoners' world is very small. They probably all lived next to each other."

"Ah...pity..." a boy agreed. "Well at least they have each other, ne? And that Suoh doesn't have a bad vibe like those twins do. Haninozuka isn't so bad either once you get past the fact that he's a senior."

There was agreement all across the table. Haruhi turned her attention back to the now dubbed "commoner table." The person she now identified as Suoh was chatting merrily away while eating away at his boxed lunch. The Haninozuka seemed to be munching on a giant cookie while the others ate their own home-made lunches.

"Hey...maybe we should go talk to them," the boy suggested, and all around their was another chorus agreement from his friends.

"It's lonely going to a new school. We should be friends with Suoh and the others!"

The group of kids stood up and dramatically marched over to the commoner table. Haruhi sweat dropped. 'They say it's lonely going to a new school...and yet I get no attention at all.'

Suoh's eyes sparkled, and he announced to them loud enough so that everyone else in the lunchroom would also know, "I'm Suoh Tamaki! These are my friends, Haninozuka Mitsukuni, Morinozuka Takashi, Ootori Kyouya, and Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru."

The other students introduced themselves to the scholarship students, and soon more and more people were gathering around the commoners table- which incidentally, could not really be called the commoners table anymore.

Haruhi smiled. People at Ouran were weird- but at least they were nice...albeit, in a very weird way.

That's when the unexpected happened.

One of the twins slammed his hands down on the table, shouted, "That's it! I can't take anymore of this crap," picked up his books, and turned to march out of the cafeteria.

"Hikaru!" his brother said, finally giving the students a glimpse at who was who. Obviously, Hikaru was the angry one. The one Haruhi could now identify as Kaoru chased after his brother.

The lunchroom stared in shock as the twins exited. Slowly, their attention turned back to Tamaki, as if asking him what to do in this strange situation. Tamaki's enthusiastic charm seemed have melted away; he was now reduced to a melancholy character that had no twinkle in his eyes.

Looking into those eyes, Haruhi found herself in a trance. Those eyes knew something that she did not know, which bothered her. Those eyes knew the life story of the Hitachiin twins, and Haruhi could tell, it was not a happy story.

The rest of the day, Haruhi noticed that Hikaru seemed to be even more moody than he had been that morning. This was not much of a surprise, though it did make her want to roll her eyes and tell him to "get over it." He was a jerk to any teacher he came across, to the students that were trying to be nice to him and anyone else who crossed his path.

It was as if he did not want to breathe the air of Ouran Academy. Haruhi twitched. If she really thought about it, that gave her something to have in common with Hikaru and possibly Kaoru as well. Still, she wasn't the one acting like a total jack-ass.

Haruhi sighed and wondered where she could go to have some peace and quiet during her free period. She was standing in the middle of a hallway, students passing her without a second glance. The library had been full of talking and gossiping teenagers, so there was no way she could study in there.

Her fingers glided across the smooth wall as she walked and walked. Finally, she came across a room. "I hope its empty..." she muttered as she stepped into the room. What she saw actually surprised her.

Music- a sweet, melancholy playing- filled her ears and seemed to surround her, almost engulfing her whole. She looked ahead at a person she recognized as Suoh Tamaki, his eyes closed, his body swaying a bit as his fingers danced across the keys of a grand piano.

She didn't think it would be wise to interrupt such a beautiful song, such a precious moment, so she waited. When Tamaki played the last note out to the end, she smiled and said, "That was really nice."

The blond opened his eyes and jumped a little. He blinked and tilted his head to the side, then smiled graciously at her. "Thank you," he said. It was the first time she had actually heard him speak without yelling. "I didn't know you were there," he laughed a little, rubbing the back of his head.

"Eh- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just looking for a place to study," she replied, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. She was looking for a place to be alone, and then she turned around and invaded someone else's privacy.

"It's alright!" Tamaki laughed and stood up. "It's nice to have company once in awhile, right? Oh, and I'm Suoh Tamaki. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Fujioka Haruhi," she said. Her eyes looked past Tamaki, to a chair in the corner of the room. "You wouldn't mind if I study here would you? It's not very quiet anywhere else in this school..."

"Of course I don't mind! Ah, my friend is coming here too. He'll be quiet. Kyouya doesn't really talk much."

'The boy with the horrified expression?' Haruhi wondered as she took a seat. He seemed more annoyed by Tamaki than he wanted to be friends with him. Haruhi didn't have too much time to ponder over it, or even ask Tamaki though, because a couple of minutes later the Ootori stepped into the room.

Tamaki immediately pounced onto him, creating a huge scene where Kyouya ended up almost toppling over and threatening the other boy before Tamaki slunk away from him.

"Oh! Kyouya! This is Fujioka Haruhi. She wanted to study here. I suppose we all had the same idea!"

Haruhi watched as Kyouya's gray eyes swept over her. Slowly, a smirk came upon his lips, his eyes sparkling momentarily before he spoke. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Fujioka."

"Likewise..." Haruhi replied. There was something about this guy that made her want to run away as fast as her feet would take her. He turned and went to the opposite side of the room. Without being too obvious, Haruhi watched him. He pulled a laptop from the case he had been carrying with him. She noticed how scratched up it was and wondered how damaged the screen itself was.

"Oh great. They're here too."

Haruhi, Tamaki and Kyouya looked up, surprised by the new voice that had entered the room. Hikaru stood in the doorway, looking for all he was worth upset at the sight of them in the room. His brother stood beside him, his eyes wandering over all of the familiar faces. Haruhi could've sworn that he lingered on her longer than anyone else.

"Let's go Kaoru. We'll find somewhere else to-"

"I don't think we're going to find another place." Kaoru said quickly. He seemed to grow uncomfortable at his brother's intense gaze. Thankfully, Hikaru's gaze softened and he sighed.

"Fine. We'll stay here then." With that, the Hitachiin twins made their way into the room. Kyouya made a small sound in the back of throat and went back to typing away at his laptop. Tamaki stared at the twins quite openly as his fingers gently touched the piano, though he did not play. Haruhi bit her lip and tried to return to her schoolwork.

The twins chose a large window and sat on the ledge of it, each of them staring out the window at the large Ouran campus.

"...Hikaru-kun? Kaoru-kun?" Tamaki finally said, his eyes looking over at them. They did not respond, so Tamaki continued, "If you're going to be in here, it would at least be better if you would greet the young lady."

They still did not respond.

"It's alright," Haruhi spoke up. She didn't want to see any tension fly between the twins and Tamaki; poor Tamaki looked as if he would be roasted alive by the moody twins. "I've already met them."

"Oh? Is that so? How?" Tamaki asked, pure curiosity in his voice.

"We're in the same class?"

"Really?!" Large eyes. "Kyouya and I happen to be in the same class as well. Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai are also in the same class."

"Who are they?" Haruhi asked, though she had a good idea who.

"They are cousins, seniors actually. I believe you saw them in the lunch room. They look like opposites of each other. They were the last two scholarship students."

"And where are they now?"

"The third years must have a different free period than us." Kyouya said, as if it were obvious. "Fujioka, this is your first day here as well?"

"Yeah...." Haruhi said.

"Oh! So we're in the same vote." Tamaki jumped up from his seat. He nodded. He walked circles around the piano. He nodded and walked at the same time. "Yes. I do believe it's fate!"

Everyone, even the twins, turned their attention to Tamaki.

He continued, spreading his arms out to all of them. "Including the third years, I believe that it is _destiny _that the seven of us start the Ouran High School Host Club!"

* * *

**A/N: Well, if you enjoyed or did not enjoy then review! But if you dare to flame me, I shall...roast marshmellows. Neko-chan loves marshmellows. Anyways- the HikaHaru will slowly but surely progress as the story goes on. So leave me your comments please. Thanks for reading!**

* * *


	2. Hitachiin Drama, Fujioka's Bet

**Thanks for the reviews last time you guys! I get the feeling that this story will be a great accomplishment. So here's the next chapter ready for reading!**

* * *

Kaoru watched as his brother ran a towel over his wet hair. It was one of those times when he just could not fathom what Hikaru was thinking. Ever since they had gotten home yesterday, Hikaru had been unusually quiet. Then again...so had he. Sighing, Kaoru slipped on his shirt and moved to allow his brother room on the bed too.

"Hey...Kaoru."

Kaoru turned and looked at Hikaru. His eyes, like they had been for a couple of hours, were confused and unsure. "What's wrong, Hikaru?" He gave a sly grin. "You're not letting that Suoh get to you are you?"

"Of course not! I was just wondering how stupid he can get." Hikaru protested, standing up and pulling on the rest of his clothes in a hurry. "He's like...a stalker or something. Ever since middle school he's always been smiling in our faces. He just doesn't get it."

Kaoru shrugged. "He's determined...remember what he said yesterday? That was... That was-"

"It was stupid."

Kaoru frowned. He looked away. "Yeah...you're right."

_He continued, spreading his arms out to all of them. "Including the third years, I believe that it is destiny that the seven of us start the Ouran High School Host Club!"_

_The room went silent. Tamaki stared at them all with hopeful eyes, his smile never leaving him. To his side, Kaoru could practically feel the energy radiating off of Hikaru—angry energy. _

"_Well? Isn't that a great idea?" Tamaki asked. _

"_No," Kaoru answered, along with his brother. _

"_Why would we want to join your stupid club? We've already told you in middle school that we don't hang out with other people." Hikaru said, his eyes narrowing into little slits as he spoke. _

"_You're not interesting. We only need each other." Kaoru continued. _

_They waited for the blond to respond. The room took on a tense air. Kyouya was staring at them from behind his laptop. Haruhi was looking absolutely uncomfortable. She was in a position in between sitting and standing as if she had, previously, been preparing to make a mad dash out of the room. _

_That's when Tamaki chuckled. Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes widened—he thought this way funny?! As if to confirm their enraged thoughts, Tamaki's little chuckles transformed into full-fledged laughter. The second-year laughed so hard that he doubled over, holding his stomach. _

"_What's so funny?" the twins snapped. _

_Tamaki looked up at them, laughed again, and gained composure once more. "I just realized something, that's all," he replied, smiling brightly. "You two...you don't really mean what you say at all, do you?" _

"_What?" It was hard to be angry when they were so confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_I think that you don't even believe what you say. You want to be alone...but that's not true, right? You think the host club will be amusing. You want to join, but you don't want to loose what it is that ties you together." _

_Tamaki stepped close to them again. "In the host club, you'll still be together. You'll host together and have fun together. I'll make sure of it. But...you'll have fun with the rest of us too. You can take my word for it." _

_Taken aback, Hikaru and Kaoru glared at him, their hearts racing. Together, they said nothing. Together, they walked right past Tamaki. The way they did it was almost as if they walked through him. _

_At that moment, they hoped that Tamaki felt as if he didn't exist. They hoped he would never come back, that he would become a ghost in their eyes. Hopefully, the memories with his name on them could be washed from their minds completely, never to surface in even a small crevice in their minds. _

_At least, that's what they hoped. _

* * *

Haruhi held her breath when they came in. She wondered how they were going to handle the situation they were going to be in. It didn't matter to her where or with who she was going to sit with, but it certainly did matter to them. Haruhi couldn't help but worry for them.

'I should be worrying about myself...they'll probably have my neck by the end of the day,' she thought, sweat dropping as they came nearer.

"Who moved our desks?" They asked immediately, glaring at her with such intensity that she could've sworn they had laser eyes.

"For now on, the three of us are a group," she explained evenly. "The teacher said so."

They looked around. All of the desks in the classroom were paired in groups of three. Haruhi bit her lip. If she had had her choice, she would've sat with nicer people... She knew just how they felt. So far, she wasn't exactly fond of them just as much as they hated her.

"Look, let's just get along alright? I know you don't like me, and really, I could care less," Haruhi said bluntly, her eyes not betraying her calm demeanor at all. "I only care about my grades. In group projects, you do your half of the work and I'll do mine."

"Fine." They answered. They took their seats next to each other and didn't even give Haruhi another glance. Haruhi sighed in relief. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all...

---

"You're not pouring enough in!"

"That's better than pouring _too much _in, like you two did!"

It was barely an half hour into class, and already they were at each other's throats. The liquid in the beaker bubbled and changed colors. Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi stared down at it in shock. If it was one thing they knew it was not supposed to do...it was that.

Kaoru looked down at the two chemicals in Haruhi's hands. "Y-you poured in the wrong one!"

"It's gonna explode!" Hikaru yelled.

"It's not going to explode! Quit being so dramatic!" Haruhi yelled back. She sat the beaker and the other glass jar down onto the counter. "We have to get the teacher and-"

BOOM!!!

Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi stared in shock. The liquid was now all over their faces, dripping down onto their clothes. "I told you it would explode..." Hikaru mumbled. He turned to glare at Haruhi. Unfortunately, his glare did not last long. Kaoru turned Haruhi's way as well.

The twins chuckled. "Hikaru...she looks so..."

"She looks so..."

"Goofy!" Their laughter spurted out. Haruhi blushed. Everyone in the class had turned around to stare at the three of them.

"You guys look goofy too!" she said, taking a towel and wiping some of the liquid off of her cheek. Thank the heavens it wasn't anything harmful...Haruhi tried her best to be angry at them. What she really wanted to do was to tell them off right there in front of everyone. But she just couldn't. Their laughter filled the whole classroom, echoed off the walls and bounced back. They were like musical notes. Rare and rich in melody. A laughter than Haruhi was sure that she had never experienced before.

She didn't know where it came from, but it definitely happened. Someone, somewhere in the classroom was laughing along with the twins. It started with that voice that the rest of the class slowly started to pick up on it. Before she knew it, Haruhi was laughing along with everyone else in the classroom.

The three of them were dragged out of the classroom in tears. Even in the hallway, she could hear the laughter of many seeping out from the room. Coming down from her laughter-induced high, Haruhi's laughs soaked into a smile as she looked around her.

She blinked.

The twins blinked.

Silence.

"What...?" Haruhi's enlarged eyes swung over to their teacher, who was shaking his head from side to side.

"I'd suggest, after going to wash your face, Ms. Fujioka, you and the twins head to the office." His frown was deep as he explained. "Unfortunately, I can't allow you to make a game out of my classroom. If those had been dangerous chemicals, you all could've been hurt. If you aren't going to follow the rules then you won't come back to my classroom. Understand?"

Haruhi gaped at him. "D-demo...it wasn't my fault! I mean, I-"

"Ms. Fujioka. Please, it wouldn't be in your best interest to argue with me. The Hitachiin twins probably aren't used to discipline..."

The twins narrowed their eyes at him, but held their tongues.

"But you, I'm quite shocked at. If your father was to hear about this, what would he think? The only child of the Fujioka's behaving like that. Actually, I'm letting you off easy even with the detention I'm sure they'll give you."

Haruhi was steaming. She clenched and unclenched her hand. It was bad enough that she had gotten a detention, but now he just had to bring her father into it. Just because she was a Fujioka, he was disappointed. Just because of a stupid name. She was stuck in between her feelings and her name, stuck in between cursing this insolent teacher out and bowing politely like the cute little girl she was supposed to be.

Tears blurring her vision, Haruhi turned and headed into the bathroom. She twisted the handles of the sink and watched as warm water gushed out. She cupped her hands beneath the water and splashed it onto her face. When she looked up in the mirror again, she took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, the Hitachiin twins were facing their own problems. Hikaru drummed his fingers against the wall impatiently. "How long is she going to stay in there? What's she doing, having a nervous breakdown?"

"She _did _just get yelled at because of us," Kaoru murmured.

"We didn't do anything," Hikaru replied. "She should've paid attention to what she was doing."

"We were distracting her."

Hikaru ran a hand through his hair. He nodded, the edge now gone from his voice. "Kaoru..." he bit his lip. He stared at his twin. "You think we were too mean to her, don't you?"

Kaoru didn't answer.

The door opened and out popped Haruhi. Her face was clean again, (they had cleaned theirs too) but it held a stony expression.

"Let's go," she said. Hikaru and Kaoru walked behind her. Hikaru couldn't help but notice that she walked with such confidence and pride that her very presence was a bit intimidating despite the uniform dress. Hikaru smirked; it was cute how she was trying to be strong. 'Even though she's all alone...' he thought.

They got to the office. There weren't many people in there, but a secretary looked at them from over the rims of her glasses and instructed them all to take seats. The three teenagers grew increasingly uncomfortable as the strictly quiet atmosphere enveloped them. For the first time, Hikaru actually got a chance to look this girl over.

She was petite, her hair cut short and sort of unruly for a girl. She had a creamy, flawless complexion that made her big brown eyes really pop. Her nails were short, but if she bit them or not Hikaru couldn't tell. He also noticed that they weren't painted. He wondered if her nervous habit was drumming them against her leg, and biting her bottom lip.

Holding in a snort, he looked away from her. What did he care? She was just a snooty little rich girl. She was just like everyone else in this school- like everyone else in the world for that matter. His gaze went to Kaoru. All he needed was Kaoru. That's where his world is, he reminded himself. With Kaoru.

"_I think that you don't even believe what you say. You want to be alone...but that's not true, right? _

Hikaru fidgeted. 'That idiot...what does he know? If we were to join that club, everything would go down from there. Other people don't understand us- they can't. It's impossible.'

He closed his eyes in concentration. 'It's impossible...right?'

"Fujioka and Hitachiin. You can go in now."

They shuffled into the room. Haruhi spoke while Hikaru sulked in his chair and Kaoru tried his best not to fidget. But....it was so...darn...boring! Listening to some stupid superintendent blab his mouth about the "importance of paying attention" and "the consequences of life" wasn't exactly the best subject in the world.

Despite Haruhi's efforts to explain how everything had happened without getting the three of them into even more trouble didn't go as well as the girl had hoped. In the end, they all got one day of detention.

Together, the three of them shuffled out of the office and into the hall again.

"Getting detention on the second day of school..." Haruhi mumbled.

"This school is so stupid anyways," Hikaru growled. "Who're they to give us detention?"

"It's not like we even did anything that bad..." Kaoru agreed.

The three first-years shared a sigh. Hikaru and Kaoru eyed the girl.

"...Haruhi-san?" Kaoru said weakly. He didn't dare look at Hikaru; he could already guess how shocked he looked that he would dare strike up a conversation with this girl, this outsider.

"Yes?" Haruhi seemed equally surprised. "Ano...I'm sorry. I haven't gotten a chance to meet you both properly. What's your name?"

Kaoru hesitated, and Hikaru jumped in and answered for him, "He's Hikaru. I'm Kaoru."

Haruhi stopped walking. She looked back at the boys and tilted her head to the side. "...Really?"

Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. Really."

"Alright then." She looked back to Kaoru. "What is it, Hikaru-san?"

Kaoru exchanged a glance with Hikaru. 'Forgive me...' he thought, before turning back to Haruhi. "We were wondering what you were thinking about the host club. Are you going to join?"

This time, it was Haruhi who hesitated to speak. "I...I haven't really thought about it yet. I see no point in joining. In fact, I actually see it as a bit impractical. But...that senpai seemed determined. I like that." she shrugged. "I don't really know yet."

That said, she continued to walk. Then she suddenly stopped and looked back at them. "Are you guys going to?"

"No," they answered. "It's stupid."

She frowned and studied them. Then she smiled, "Tamaki-senpai was right. You two _are _liars."

"What?" Hikaru stepped forward. "You're talking like that, and you don't even know us. You're just like everyone else."

"I'm not judging you," she snapped back, causing Hikaru to blink in surprise. Why was it that this girl was not afraid of him like all of the other girls? "I'm just calling it as I see it," she said bluntly. "You want to join the host club, but you're afraid, right?"

"Wrong," Hikaru answered. Kaoru moved and stood beside him, and he wasn't so flustered anymore. They said simultaneously, "In middle school...he played our game. And he lost."

Haruhi's eyebrows flew up. "Game?"

"The 'Which One is Hikaru-kun' game." Hikaru said.

"He played, and he lost miserably."

"Everyday, he would attack us. We played for a month, and he still couldn't figure out which one of us was Hikaru."

"That's why we know...we can't be friends with him. We can't join his club."

Haruhi stared at them. The bell rang for the next class and students were soon roaming the hallways. "That's dumb," she finally stated, as if it were obvious. "If he can't tell you apart, it's not his fault. In class, you two hardly talk at separate times, and when you do you're finishing each other's sentences. You act the same and walk the same and you do everything in your power to make it as if you're the same person. So how you do expect anyone to know who's Hikaru if Hikaru is the same person?"

The twins were frozen. Even if Hikaru wanted to lash out at her, he couldn't. His tongue was too heavy, and her words were adding a pound with every sentence.

"If you want to be told apart then differentiate yourselves a little." She smiled gently. "It won't hurt you, you know. And you'll still be together, like Tamaki-sempai said."

Hikaru looked away. "What do you know?" he muttered.

She shrugged, looking into his eyes. "I know nothing." She stepped closer and whipped out a handkerchief from nowhere. She giggled a little and swiped at his cheek with it. "You missed a spot."

He blushed furiously, having never been this close to a girl before. He unconsciously took a step back.

"Hikaru, Kaoru..." she said, suddenly dropping the honorifics of 'kun' from their names and becoming much more informal with them. "If you're afraid it's okay. I'm scared too," she laughed. "But it's a challenge, isn't it? Tamaki-sempai has challenged you. I think you should accept his challenge and join the host club."

"But...you won't, right?" Kaoru asked.

"Like I said, I see no point in joining."

Kaoru grinned. "Now you're lying too. Little Haruhi wants to join, but she's afraid too, right?"

Hikaru stared at his brother. What. Was. He. Doing?!

Haruhi shook her head. "I'm not-"

"If we join, it would give you so much satisfaction because you'd think you were right. But if _you_ joined, then Hikaru and I would get to laugh when you see that it really is a stupid idea. We'd get to see you frustrated. You'd _quit_."

Haruhi's eyes sparkled and she smirked. "I thought you guys said you were Hikaru."

Kaoru looked back at his brother and grinned. They shared a thought: _She's such a little know-it-all._

"We have a bet for you. A game," they said, wanting the chance to turn the tables around on her.

"What is it?"

"You join the host club, and if you quit before the end of our first year here, you..." Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other again, nodded. "Then you have to do our homework for our entire second year."

"That's-"

"What? You don't want to play?" They slithered to either side of her. "You're afraid."

She narrowed her eyes and backed away from them. "Fine. But if you two quit before the end of the school year...then you have to...have to..." Haruhi faltered. She was never good in the creative department. What was something that would totally irk their nerves? "You have to dye your hairs different colors so that everyone can tell who is Hikaru and whose Kaoru!" she spat out.

They stared at her. Somewhere in the background, the bell rung that started the next period.

"That's....that's stupid."

"Dye will only last a couple of months. I'd have to do your homework for longer than that. Your hair isn't going to give you any physical or emotional pain but I'd never get any sleep if I'd have twice the amount of my normal homework."

"True, true." They nodded twice.

"So...are you up for the game?" she asked. "Or are you afraid to lose?"

They grinned. "We won't lose."

"Neither will I."

---

"Hikaru...?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you angry at me?"

"Kaoru, why would I be angry with you?"

"Because...because I talked to Haruhi. I didn't stick with you. I made it so that we would have to join the host club."

Hikaru shrugged, "We would've joined anyways. And if it gets boring, we could always quit. We're only joining because otherwise, Ouran Academy would be a complete waste of our time. It'd be too boring."

Kaoru smiled. "You're right."

The unspoken words swam around their minds. They didn't need to say them because they both knew that the other knew about them. Combined with Tamaki's words, Haruhi's words had really gotten to them. They had touched them somewhere deep inside that they hadn't even known existed.

They had always wanted to take a step into that broader world, but they had never had a reason to. Hikaru wasn't going to push Kaoru, and Kaoru wasn't going to push Hikaru. No, it would take someone else to do that. It actually took two.

Tamaki, the blond idiot that had always hung around them in middle school. Haruhi, the blunt brunette that had told the truth without hesitation.

They had pushed Hikaru and Kaoru through that door. Even though their eyes were blinded and shocked from the light that was inside, their hearts would soon learn to adjust to this new way of life.

---

"Guess what Kyouya?! The twins and Haruhi are joining." Tamaki, of course, was ecstatic. "Isn't that great?"

"Marvelous."

"Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are joining as well." Tamaki smiled and put a hand on Kyouya's shoulder. "That...only leaves one person yet to join."

Kyouya stared out the window. The sun was setting. He looked at Tamaki.

For the first time, Kyouya's smile was directed at Tamaki. "As long as I'm the vice president as you promised before, then I'd be happy to establish the club with you."

"K-Kyouya..." Tamaki's azure eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "Thank you so much!" He lunged at Kyouya and squeezed him.

Ah. Kyouya couldn't breathe. Happy Moment gone. "Get off of me, you twit."

---

Haruhi sighed as she laid in bed. What in the world had she gotten herself in to? What the heck could a girl do in a host club unless she was being served? The first meeting would be two days from now (only because Haruhi and the twins had detention tomorrow).

The twins. Haruhi smiled. She had to admit, she was glad that they were joining the club too.

That's when it hit her.

Not only did she get detention today...but she had actually made a bet that could ruin her entire future..._**and **_she had gotten her first tardy as well!

"Dammit!" she shouted. She banged her head against her head board and fell off of her bed.

_Mother in heaven...I get the feeling that I've gotten myself into something much more than just a simple club..._

* * *

**A/N: So? How was it? I'm taking this story slowly for a reason people. It's better if it's not rushed. I hope you enjoyed! Until next time! Ja ne! **


	3. First Meetings

The bright sunlight from the windows warmed Haruhi's face as she stared out into the courtyard. She was in her class early today and the sound of the birds chirping and the peacefulness of the outside calmed her. To her dismay, it had been a week already since she had last seen her father. The lonely girl closed her eyes for a moment. She reminded herself that her father was a busy man, and that he was always gone because he wanted the best for her.

Yet she couldn't help but miss the days when he had had more time for her. Just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt a hand on each of her shoulders and the tingle of breath on her ears. "You're coming with us..."

"Eh?!" Haruhi's body jumped and she looked around crazily to either side of her. When she noticed that it was the twins who had whispered so dangerously into her ears, she glared at them. They smirked. "What do you guys want?" she seethed, turning her back on them and walking back to her seat.

"We were sent by that idiot to come get you," they answered dryly, inching up closer to her. "He says it's important."

Haruhi glared at them, shaking her head. "For what?"

They shrugged, then proceeded to grab her by her arms and pulling her out of the classroom. "Hey- I can walk perfectly fine by myself!" she yelled, snatching away from the two teens.

"We're just making sure you don't run away," Hikaru said, smirking at her with a mysterious glint in his eyes.. "Unless..."

"You're already backing out of our little game?" Kaoru inquired, the same look on his face.

"Of course not!" Haruhi replied. She wouldn't be beaten that easily! "But to meet so early in the morning..." she mumbled dejectedly as she followed behind the twins. Sighing, she watched them as they walked, their long strides carrying them together with perfect unison in each step. The annoyed girl briefly wondered how they were able to do anything and everything exactly the same. She was _sure _there were things that they were incapable of doing together.

As they turned the corner, they looked back at her, probably checking to see if she was still with them. Once at the door of the music room, Haruhi caught up with the twins. The three of them stood there for what seemed like forever before Haruhi thought they were all being ridiculous and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the door. Confidently, the girl pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

"You're here!" Came a loud voice, causing Haruhi and the twins to wince. Tamaki came bouncing out of nowhere, standing in front of Haruhi like an excited puppy that wished to play. "Ano... good morning, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi greeted, trying to smile despite the wary feeling she suddenly held in her stomach.

"Ohayo!" Tamaki greeted back. Looking past Haruhi, he noticed the twins still in the doorway of the room. The blond smiled and winked at Haruhi before moving slowly past her and walking to the twins. "Hikaru, Kaoru...welcome to the Host Club," he said, stretching his arm back to the room.

The twins said nothing, but walked past Tamaki and into the room.

"Please, take a seat gentlemen," Tamaki said, then, looking over to Haruhi, "and fair lady."

The first years did as suggested. Haruhi wondered where in the world this guy came from. She decided to take a seat next to the least intimidating person in the room- the short senior. The chairs were stacked side by side in a horizontal line. The little blond swung his legs under the chair happily and looked up and smiled at Haruhi. Next to him, was his cousin followed by Kyouya, who was sitting with his legs crossed and without an emotion on his face. The twins decided to sit next to Kyouya, sighing as they sat down.

"Now," Tamaki said, grinning, his eyes glimmered as he examined all of the soon-to-be hosts. "Welcome to the first official meeting of the Host Club!"

"Semi-meeting, Tamaki," Kyouya reminded. "We only have fifteen minutes before class starts."

"Ah, right. Right." Tamaki nodded. "Then I'll make this quick! Kyouya!" He suddenly yelled, pointing his finger towards the boy.

"Yes, Tamaki?" Kyouya asked dryly, obviously not very amused by his friend's sudden outburst.

"What do you call this young lady by?" Tamaki inquired, taking Haruhi's hand in his own and looking pointedly at the spectacled boy.

Kyouya stared at him blankly at the blond for a moment, wondering if it was supposed to be a trick question. "...Fujioka-san," he answered.

"Wrong! The Host Club members shall be a family. Therefore, we will all drop the formalities."

"I'd rather not," Haruhi muttered.

"Tama-chan! Tama-chan!" the blond next to Haruhi said, waving his hand in the air.

"Ah, right...Honey-senpai. You may call people by '-chan' considering it adds to your cute ways and it'll help us out in the club," Tamaki said. He paused before adding, "Demo, we won't drop the '-senpai' calling, being that it's almost natural to do that, right?"

There was a collective silence in which Tamaki must have thought that they agreed because he continued. "And being that we are now friends and family, we should sit together at lunch, yes?"

"Wrong," Hikaru said.

"Eh? Why not?"

"Just because we're in this club doesn't mean we're 'family' or 'friends.' We refuse to sit with you. We sit alone," he replied smoothly.

"But- but! Sitting together is a _strategy_. By sitting together, we're letting it be known that something is coming. It- it's called foreshadowing! It's our priority! It's a club activity!"

Haruhi smirked and leaned over so that she could make eye contact with the twins. "You wouldn't be backing out of a club activity, now would you? I believe that we-"

"We'll sit with you," they said, cutting her off and not looking too happy about their decision. "But that doesn't mean we have to join in on the conversations."

Tamaki nodded, seeming pleased with their little compromise. "That's fine! It's better than nothing."

Haruhi noticed that Kyouya was making notes of all of this in a notebook before closing it shut and standing up, a manila folder in his hands. "I suppose it's my turn now," he said to Tamaki. Opening up the folder, he began handing out stacks of papers to the four seated guests. "The papers I'm holding out to you simply illustrates the club's mission statement, how this idea came to be, and the possible things we'll need to do to get this club started. When we meet again tomorrow we'll discuss all of this."

"I hope we all get along," Tamaki said, excitement edging his words. "Oh! Dismissed!" He chuckled and grabbed his bag.

When Haruhi got up, a small hand grabbed her wrist. She looked down at the senior she had been sitting next to. "Uh...hai?"

"We haven't been properly introduced yet, ne? I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni. But you can call me Honey, if you wanna," Honey said. He turned to the tall, dark haired man. "This is Morinozuka Takashi. You can call him Mori."

"Nice to meet you...er...Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai."

"Pleasure." Takashi replied, sparing a small smile.

"Bye, bye Haru-chan!" Honey waved and started out of the room, his cousin following closely behind him. As the two of them, the twins, Tamaki and Kyouya left the room, Haruhi was suddenly aware of something she hadn't really paid much attention to.

None of them were wearing the Ouran uniform. Granted, most of their clothes were neat, but they still stuck out like sore thumbs. She took a moment and gazed about the entire music room. It was practically empty. Where, she wondered, would they get the equipment necessary for club activities?

Haruhi shook her head and sprinted out of the room. A feeling washed over body. Could it be...that this Suoh Tamaki was reaching for a dream he could never reach?

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, and relieved students hurried out of the classroom. Haruhi slowly stood, gathering her things and preparing to head out. She looked over to the twins

and blinked in surprise. Their faces were a deep red, they were biting down on their bottom lips and squeezing their eyes shut.

"Eh? What's wrong you guys?!" She asked, speeding over to them.

Opening their eyes, she could see their tears threatening to spill down. "What happened?"

"D-did you hear how he _talked _Kaoru?"

"Y-yeah..." his twins answered through breaths. "He sounded just like..."

"Just like-"

They faced each other and touched pointer fingers. "Just like a lord!" They practically shouted in unison, exploding into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Yare, yare..." Haruhi mumbled. 'They must've been holding that in for a long time...'

"Did you see the way he extended his arm out?!"

"And the way he walks with that stupid stride!"

"Baka Tono! Baka Tono! Baka Tono!" They chanted in between laughter.

"Um...you guys?"

"Oh. You're still here?" The laughter, as quick as it came, was suddenly gone.

"Eh..." Haruhi blinked. "I just wanted to tell you that it's lunch time."

"Stupid-..." Hikaru and Kaoru bit their tongues, looked at each other, then back to Haruhi. "Silly girl. We already knew that." They turned to leave and was halfway out of the door before turning back and looking over their shoulders. "Aren't you coming?"

"Ah...hai," Haruhi nodded and smiled.

In the lunchroom, Haruhi automatically got in line. It was awhile before she noticed that the twins weren't still with her, and when she spotted them they were sitting at the table with the other hosts. What surprised her, though, was that they did not have lunches. Along with them, neither did Kyouya. Tilting her head to the side, she walked slowly over to the table.

"You guys aren't hungry?" she asked, looking over at the twins and then Kyouya. In return, they all gave her the strangest look, but the dense girl still did not understand.

"Fujio- Haruhi," Kyouya corrected himself when he noticed Tamaki's glare. "It's not as easy to afford the lunches here for us, as it may be for yourself."

Haruhi's heart stopped. She blushed, feeling highly embarrassed. "I'm sorry!" she sputtered out. "I didn't mean to...I mean I-"

Kyouya held up a hand and shook his head. "I assure you, I'm not bothered by your naive behavior. Actually, I expect it to be common in this school."

Haruhi didn't quite know what to say to that. Kyouya was a hard character to figure out, in her opinion, so it wouldn't be much use in saying anything back at this point. She nodded and looked pleadingly over to the Hitachiin twins. "You guys can share my lunch. I'm not really hungry anymore."

"We don't want your pity," Hikaru replied dryly.

Haruhi frowned, "The last thing I'd give you is my pity. I'm offering you my lunch because, like I said, I'm not hungry."

The twins stared at it before looked away.

Haruhi sighed; how was she supposed to become friends when they were being so difficult? Just a few moments ago, they had showed a slight attitude change. But now it seemed as if their moods had changed back into their regular personalities.

Meanwhile, a certain someone was staring hungrily at her food. He was practically drooling on the table.

"Well...I'm not going to eat it." Haruhi said, hoping that somehow this would stir up the twins a little bit more. She didn't know why she wanted a rise out of them- especially the one with the smart mouth. 'Hikaru...' she remembered.

"We aren't either."

Honey bit into his chocolate cupcake, some cream smearing across him lips. "You know, Haru-chan, someone else might want you lunch."

Haruhi blinked in surprise and looked over to Tamaki, finally seeing the sparkled eyed boy. "Ano...Tamaki-senpai?" she looked down at her lunch tray then back up at him. "You wouldn't want to eat this, would you?"

"Well...it'd be a shame to let it go to waste..." he mumbled, a furious blush spreading across his cheeks as he outstretched his hand toward the food. Pulling it closer to him, his eyes seemed to took on the shapes of stars. He speared some of the food with the fork and slowly lifted it to his lips. Munching on the food for a few seconds, all seemed to be silent as everyone watched his mouth move.

Once he had swallowed, Tamaki gently put the fork back onto the tray and stared straight ahead for what seemed like hours.

"What's wrong?" Haruhi finally asked, unnerved at the sudden silence at the table. "Did it not suit your tastes?"

"Haruhi..." Tamaki bowed his head so that she could not see his eyes. "Haruhi...that was..."

"Senpai?" Haruhi blinked, leaning in closer to get a better look at the older boy.

"DELICIOUS!" Before Haruhi could defend herself, the hyper blond had literally jumped across the table, wrapped his arms around her and proceeded in smothering her to death. "Ooishi! Arigato gozaimasu!"

"S-senpai...can't...breath," Haruhi mumbled against his chest. She put a hand on him and tried to push him away, but he would barely budge.

"Thank you so much for sharing your delicious meal with me," he said and pulled away from her to look at her with his tear filled, violet eyes. "Sharing something that good with me...I didn't know that our bond had already become so strong!"

"Eh?" Haruhi sweat dropped. 'What is this idiot talking about?' she wondered. Standing up, Haruhi suddenly become keenly aware of the silence that filled the room. She looked around, and sure enough half of the people in the lunch room had their eyes in her direction. She blushed and looked away, wondering why everyone had turned their attention towards her.

Tamaki had taken his seat again as though nothing had happened, and was eagerly sharing his food with Honey and Mori. Haruhi sighed and looked down at the table. Her eyes fell upon the sheets of paper Kyouya had given her earlier.

She bit her lip, wondering if now would be a good time to mention what was on her mind. Looking up, she watched as Honey and Tamaki laughed, Mori smiled and Kyouya watched them with a faint smile tugging on his lips. It made her heart waver even more. They seemed to be getting along quite nicely already. If Tamaki couldn't get his club, she feared how he would handle it. He seemed to be a pretty dramatic person...

Her brown eyes wandered over to the twins. They were looking on at the scene too, but they looked pretty bored. Haruhi sighed; why couldn't they _all _just get along? Maybe if the twins would adjust their attitudes, she would have a little more faith in the host club.

"Hikaru, Kaoru! You have to try this," Tamaki said suddenly, snapping Haruhi out of her thoughts and the twins as well.

"We already said- oomph!" Hikaru's mouth was shut up when Tamaki stuffed a forkful into his mouth.

"You too." Tamaki said, grinning and holding the fork to let Kaoru have a try.

Looking over his twin, who looked as if he had just floated to heaven once he had began chewing the food, Kaoru opened his mouth and allowed Tamaki to feed him. A wide grin spread out on the boy's face, "It's pretty good!"

"Isn't it, though?" Tamaki grinned and laughed.

"We'll take that," the twins said, snatching the whole tray away from Tamaki. The blonde's mouth dropped open in shock, weird sputtering coming out in place of words. The twins laughed at the stupid look on his face. "Don't look so surprised, Tono."

"How can I not?!" Tamaki demanded, causing another outburst from the twins.

"Tono, eh?" Kyouya muttered, looking on with an amused glint in his eyes. "That's just feeding his ego..."

Haruhi smiled. Well, she thought, maybe she _could _have a _little _faith in the club after all.

---

It was in the hallway that Haruhi was attacked by a bunch of yellow-dressed girls.

"We saw you sitting with them!"

"What're they like? Especially the blond, blue eyed one!"

"Haruhi-san, you must tell us. They're just so handsome! How did you become friends with them? Tell everything!"

"Eh..." was Haruhi's only reply. She was just on her way to, unfortunately, detention, and now she was being swamped by what- fan girls?! "I don't really know what you mean."

"It's a shame someone of your status would sit with such...lowlife."

All eyes flew to the voice, Haruhi's eyes burning with mixed emotions. The lady standing before her had dark red hair that contrasted with her pale skin. Amber eyes bore into her, her lips spread into a thin line. Haruhi recognized the girl immediately. She had been to one of her father's social gatherings and had sported around all day on her high-horse, sticking her nose up at anyone and everyone she deemed unworthy.

"Ayanokoji-san," Haruhi said, her eyes narrowing at the girl. Usually, Haruhi would not waste her time with the girl. She had detention, after all, but what the girl had said just irked her. "What do you mean by lowlifes?"

"Commoners," Ayanokoji spat back with such venom in her voice that the girls' behind Haruhi flinched. "Really, they shouldn't even dare to sit with someone of your stature. Without saying, it's also vice-versa. You shouldn't be naïve enough to let yourself be seen with people that don't represent who you are, Haruhi-san." The red head took another step closer, her eyes softening a bit as she stared at Haruhi. "I'd suggest staying away from them."

Haruhi unconsciously jutted her chin out. Who was this spoiled, pompous brat to tell her who she could and could not hang out with? Haruhi absolutely despised people like her. Still glaring, Haruhi replied evenly, "It's none of your business whom I sit with and for your information, they aren't lowlifes. But you, Ayanokoji-san, are acting like the name of which you have given them."

The girls let out a collective gasp. Ayanokoji made a sound in the back of her throat before stepping away from Haruhi. "You'll be sorry," she retorted icily. "You'll all be sorry."

Haruhi watched her retreating figure down the hall. She really, really hoped that she did not have to consider Ayanokoji's words as a threat. She bid farewell to the girls that would surely gossip about the confrontation, and raced down the hallway.

When she thought about it, Ayanokoji's words fueled her. It was if something inside of her had awakened. As she turned the corner, Haruhi smiled. She actually was looking forward to being in the host club. Whether or not if it was just to spite people like Ayanokoji, she didn't know. But the host club suddenly felt like a great idea. Now, it would just be getting it started that would be the problem.

She opened the door to the detention room, where she found Hikaru and Kaoru already sitting. Taking a deep breath, the girl wandered over to where they were sitting and took a seat.

This had to be the only small room in the whole school. There were about fifteen desks, arranged in rows of five. The teacher's desk was at the very front and he seemed just as bored as they were. Haruhi concentrated on her homework for the most part, and while she was sure they weren't allowed to, the twins were playing a hand-held video game.

Just as she was about to turn back to her work, the teacher stood up and excused himself from the room. She was pretty astounded that he did- what was the point of her being stuck here if the teacher wasn't going to stay?!

The brunette sighed and tried to concentrate on her work. Unfortunately, the twins kept getting louder and louder. At first it started with their giggles, then their yells and chants, until it climaxed into a full blown war on their side of the room.

"Could you guys be a little more quiet?" she snapped.

"Nope," one of them answered, that stupid grin still plastered on his face.

"You aren't supposed to play games in here anyway," she went on, ignoring their answer. "It's getting annoying."

When they ignored her, she growled and went over to them. "Hikaru, Kaoru," she said, trying to get their attention without totally losing her cool. "Don't just ignore me!"

"You're making it kinda hard with all your yelling, ya know?" Kaoru replied.

"That's it," she yelled and snatched away the hand-held. She hurriedly flipped it off and smiled in satisfaction at the shocked looks on their faces.

"What'd you do that for?" they asked.

"I had no choice," she responded dryly. Handing them back the game, she turned and went back to her seat.

"You're so annoying," Hikaru yelled.

"That makes two of us." Haruhi replied.

The twins slithered up to her, leaning in on either side of her as they gazed down at her homework. "You and that Tamaki guy really enjoy bothering us."

"I think it's the other way around."

There was silence that followed. Haruhi wondered what they were thinking. When she looked up, they were still staring at her. "What?"

"We're bored."

"Do your homework."

"We finished it already..."

"Then-"

"Play with us," Hikaru said.

"What?"

"Play with us," he mumbled, looking away, his face turning a shade of red. "It's not fun here. Let's get out of here," he looked back at her. "We wanna see what your house looks like."

Haruhi opened her mouth to reply just as the teacher came back in. "You guys were good. You're dismissed but I don't want to see your faces here again."

Haruhi swept her books into her bag and looked up at the twins. "My house isn't fun like you think."

"If you don't want us to be with you, just say it," Hikaru replied, his face contorting with anger.

"No! I'm serious," she said, shaking her head. "I would like to play with you though," she added, smiling. "I'm surprised you asked though..."

"Don't be so blunt," the twins said, though for once they seemed to be joking. They simultaneously swung their bags on their shoulders and waved at her. "Mata ashita!"

"Ah...ja ne," Haruhi replied quietly.

As she watched them leave, a smile formed on her lips. Maybe the twins weren't so bad after all, she thought. She slowly walked the halls of Ouran, not exactly ready to go home yet. When she finally exited the school, she passed the fountain and prepared to pull her cell phone out to call her chauffeur.

That's when she saw them.

Tamaki and Kyouya were in the grand fountain, their pants legs hiked up to their knees and their backs bent as their fingers swam through the water. Surprised by this, Haruhi stood next to the fountain.

"What're you guys doing?"

The two boys jumped slightly before turning back to look at her. She didn't fail to notice the angry expression on Kyouya's face before it cleared up and melted into one of recognition. "It seems Tamaki's wallet has fallen into this fountain."

"Ah, right!" Tamaki said, nodding in agreement. "It was an accident."

"How did you accidentally drop your wallet in a fountain?" Haruhi asked, bending down and pulling off her shoes and socks. She knew that if anyone at her home had seen her doing this they would have a fit, but Haruhi had no care in the world about things like this. Hiking up her dress, she stepped into the cool water.

"H-Haruhi! You shouldn't-" Tamaki started, but was cut off by the determined girl.

"The more hands, the better, right? It'll be easier to find your wallet if I help too."

As if to prove her point, Haruhi picked up the little black wallet and handed it to Tamaki, a smile on her face. "See?"

His face lit up and he took it. "Thanks!"

"Finally..." Kyouya muttered and stepped out of the water. Tamaki helped Haruhi out of the fountain, his face glowing brightly as he thanked Haruhi again and again. She waved him off and began putting back on her socks.

"Ano, there's something I've been wondering..."

The two males looked at her expectantly, so she took a deep breath and continued. "How do you plan on financing the club?"

"That's...yet to be decided. We were planning on discussing it with everyone tomorrow." Kyouya answered.

"I see...and...how are you going to get permission to start the club? I mean-"

"A petition, of course!" Tamaki blurted out. "If we can get a certain number of people to sign a petition and the hosts present it to the people in charge, I'm sure they won't deny us."

"That's-" Haruhi blinked, "actually...a pretty good idea. Though, your clothes..."

"We're still saving our money for uniforms," Tamaki said, grimacing a bit. "But I'm sure we'll have them soon! Right, Kyouya?"

"...right," Kyouya agreed. Haruhi stared at him. He didn't sound very believable, but Tamaki nodded enthusiastically and waved goodbye to Haruhi, all the while jabbering to Kyouya about the future of the host club.

When they were long gone, Haruhi whipped out her cell phone. "Yes, Koji-san? I need to make a couple of orders..."

* * *

The next morning, Tamaki stretched his arms and greeted the world cheerfully. He just knew that today was going to be a special day! Walking to his hallway, he stuck his head in his parents' room and greeted the pale, blond woman in the bed. "Good morning!"

Just as he expected, she did not answer, so he shrugged and walked into the kitchen. "Good morning," he said to his dad.

"Morning," Mr. Suoh said, his sandy-brown hair falling into his eyes. "You had a package when I checked the mail. It's over there."

"Eh? For me? Thanks," Tamaki said and rushed over to the spot his father had pointed him in. It wasn't exactly everyday he got mail so he was now sure that today would be something special. Opening the box, he found another box inside. It was white and had a single gold thread wrapped around it. Titling his head to the side, he carefully opened the box.

The Ouran symbol stared back at him.

Taking it out of the box, he unfolded the blue pants suit, gently rubbing the smooth fabric in his fingers. He stared at the black and blue tie in awe. He rubbed it against his cheek just to see if it was really real.

Where, he wondered, had it come from? He wondered if Ouran Academy had sent it to him for free. Looking back at the box to check, he saw no address or name. "Dad!" he called. "Who sent this package to me?"

"Ah, I don't know," he father replied, rubbing a hand through his hair. "It was already out there when I woke up this morning. It just had your name on it. Why? Is it a love-package?" he teased, grinning at his cute, adorable son.

"No," Tamaki said, looking back at his uniform and grinning. "It's my Ouran uniform."

He got up, did a little dance, cheered and sang all the way back to his room. He picked up his phone and dialed Kyouya's number, which was on speed-dial. "Kyouya! Did you get your uniform too? Don't you think it was nice of the school to-"

"It wasn't the school Tamaki. And please, stop yelling in my ear."

"Wasn't the school?! Kyouya, if it wasn't the school then-"

"You figure it out." Click. Tamaki stared at the phone in disbelief as the dial tone rung in his ear. How rude.

He quickly dialed Honey's number next, thinking that the hyper active teen was nicer than Kyouya was in these type of situations. "Moshi moshi? Honey-senpai?"

"Oh! You got the package too Tama-chan?"

"Yes! Kyouya says the school didn't send it. Who do you think did?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Honey asked innocently. "I thought you would've known."

"Ah...well..." Tamaki blushed, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot. "It's not that obvious."

"Maybe you should figure it out! Ne, Tama-chan?"

"N-no!"

"See ya at school later!" Click.

Drat. Tamaki hung up the line, shaking his head from side to side.

Why wouldn't anyone tell him who the mystery package sender was?!

Well, he would certainly find out when he got to school. He was now on a mission.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I want to assume that we all remember who Ayanokoji is. But just in case, I'll remind you that she's from the what- second episode? Third, perhaps...yeah, she was the one that was mean to Haruhi. I hope you enjoyed this chapter- from this point on things will start to heat up a bit so please stick with me!**


	4. Pity

**Well, here finally is. I apologize for not updating as much as I want to. But Spring Break is almost here so hopefully I'll be able to get another update in soon! Also, I thank you all for the amazing reviews and support you've been giving me. You don't know how excited I get when I read them. So, I've added a tad bit of HikaHaru and if you squint, TamaHaru. Yup, the plot is developing people! **

**Special thanks to my Beta .tofu-melon! You rock! **

**Chapter 4- Pity **

* * *

Nothing could've prepared Haruhi for the day at school she had just completed. She was a girl that had taken many (unnecessary) classes in her lifetime, ranging from archery to etiquette to speaking in English. But none of them had helped when it came down to the last amount of energy she had had in her body earlier. Now, she lay across her bed, taking deep breaths and being thankful that the day was finally over.

She wondered briefly if the host club was worth all of this stress. "It is if I don't want to do the twins homework for the rest of my life..." she reminded herself. Sighing, she sat up and ran both of her hands through her short locks. It wasn't the host club that she was worried about. No, she was actually starting to like the various personalities that the club came with.

It was just that...a foreboding sense of dread was creeping up on her. She tried to ignore it, but something just did not seem right. Even though they had gotten through so many different difficulties in one single day...she was afraid that the grand opening wouldn't be what everyone expected it to be.

It had all started when she had first gotten to school. She knew Tamaki was strange- but she didn't know he was stupid too.

"Har-u-hiiiii!"

Haruhi cringed, her muscles tensing in dread of the impact that was sure to follow the blonde's outburst. As his arms wrapped around her, she felt the air in her lungs puff out.

"Isn't it amazing Haruhi? I must have a secret admirer!" Tamaki yelled, releasing her to jump back and pose in a model-like fashion. "Aren't I dashing in this uniform?"

Haruhi sweat dropped. "Er...Senpai..."

"What is it Haruhi?" he asked, suddenly in her face again. "Do _you _know who sent me and everyone else these marvelous uniforms? The girl must be heart-achingly in love with me already...and the host club isn't even in session yet! Please, if you know, tell me so that I may grace the beautiful creature with my gratitude!"

Haruhi was almost fearful of what he meant by that. If he didn't know she had sent the clothes to him, then she figured it in her best interest not to tell him. Let him go frolic along looking for his 'secret admirer'...as long as she wasn't involved, it would be fine. She didn't want him to crush her poor little body in his excitement.

"No, I...um...it suits you," she said, trying on a smile to please him and get the attention off of her. "You wear the uniform well."

"Ah! Thank you Haruhi! You know, I really-"

"Tamaki. You're doing it again."

Haruhi's eyes traveled to the raven-haired boy. Her mouth dropped slightly open. Kyouya looked, well...like he always did. He wore plain black pants and a white button-up. Kyouya made it a point not to wear jeans and gym shoes to school even though he could not afford the uniform. But...now he had the uniform. Haruhi stared in amazement. Why wouldn't he wear it?

"Kyouya-senpai...you didn't get a uniform?" she asked slowly.

"Ah. I did," he answered, his eyes boring into her with a white-hot intensity she had never had directed her way before. "I just chose not to wear it."

"Eh? Why not? You'd look so good in the uniform Kyouya!" Tamaki wailed. "And when we go see the Superintendent about the club, we all want to look our best so-"

"This _is _looking my best." Kyouya said, tired of Tamaki's constant babbling. In order to end the conversation, he walked briskly past Haruhi and Tamaki, not even looking over his shoulder at them or saying a farewell.

Haruhi could see that Tamaki was generally confused. Well, she couldn't blame him. So was she. She thought that Kyouya would've loved having a uniform free of charge. Why he would reject it, she couldn't figure out for the life of her.

"Well..." Tamaki said blankly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I suppose we should get to class now, ne Haruhi?" he said, smiling down at her.

She smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, you're right Tamaki-senpai."

She did not notice as she walked away, the look of recognition on Tamaki's face. Her back turned to him, she could not see the widening of his eyes. He looked down, feeling his face flushing hot. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he chuckled lowly before shaking his head from side to side. "Kawaii..." he whispered. "Very...kawaii..."

---

Shocked. That, Haruhi realized, was the only way to describe the emotion she felt when she took her seat next to the Hitachiin twins. They, like Kyouya, were _not _wearing the uniforms that she had delivered to them! What was this? Some weird prank? She could not fathom what was going through their heads. They were actually dressed worse than they had ever been before. Their hair was unruly and thick with some unknown substance, their clothes were ripped and tattered unlike any she had ever had the displeasure of seeing before.

They didn't look at her for the entire period, nor did they talk to her. It was as if she didn't exist in their eyes anymore.

'Fine.' She thought. 'It's not like their my best friends anyways.'

When the bell rang for lunch, Haruhi gathered her things, ready to walk out of the room without even looking at them. She was planning on giving them the cold shoulder juts as much as they did to her.

"Hey."

She stopped walking and turned around slowly. Her eyes met the liquid-hot eyes of Hikaru. She swallowed; his glare was almost as bad as Kyouya's.

"You sent those uniforms, right?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice thick despite her battle to control her emotions. She wanted to lash out at them. What right did they have to get angry with her, when she had only wanted to show an act of kindness to them?

She felt as if she needed to say something more to them when they remained silent, their stares deadly. "I thought it would help you out if I-"

"How the hell would that help us out?! We told you we're not interested in your pity!" Hikaru shouted.

The teacher looked back over his shoulder. He had been erasing the lesson off of the board, but now they were becoming unruly. "Please, Hitachiin-kun, refrain from vulgar language. It's your lunch time, isn't it?"

Hikaru's shoulder's shook, his eyes never leaving Haruhi. His brother touched his shoulder. "Let's go Hikaru."

They walked out of the door, Hikaru practically seething. Haruhi took a deep breath. She wondered if she was missing something. But no matter how hard she tried she could not see things their way. It was if a huge wall was right in between them that they were always trying to climb over but always falling back down. It was as if they had taken two steps forward yesterday, and now today, they had taken two steps back.

She tried to calm her nerves. The more practical side knew that somehow, she had really hurt their feelings. She didn't know why, but something in her told her that she owed them an apology. Of course, the less practical side was winning the battle.

Nothing could make her open her mouth and give them an apology when she did not even understand what she had done to make them so angry. Especially that Hikaru. He was the outspoken, infuriating one. He was the one that was really starting to get on her nerves. Why couldn't he just wear the stupid uniform and be happy?

Once she entered the lunchroom, Haruhi got her lunch and sat in the same seat she had sat in the day before. Her eyes scanned the boys. Hikaru and Kaoru were looking bored- which was at least better than being angry at her, she thought. Kyouya was having a conversation with Tamaki. Just as she was about to ask where they were, the cousins came up behind her.

"Hi-ya Haru-chan!" Honey said, waving from a top of Takashi's shoulders.

"Hello Honey-senpai," Haruhi greeted. "Eh?" she blinked when a folded sheet of paper fell into her lap. Looking up, she met Takashi's eyes. He smiled slightly before taking his seat. Something told her that she was not supposed to open the letter in front of everyone else, so she returned the smile and sneakily stuffed the paper into the small bag she toted around.

"I know who sent these uniforms!" Tamaki suddenly announced.

Haruhi bit her lip. 'Oh no...please don't smother me!' she thought desperately.

"It was the soccer team!"

Silence. Tamaki's smile faltered. "Um...you guys?"

"How idiotic will you become before your brain completely disintegrates?" Kyouya asked so nonchalantly Haruhi winced. Before she could even blink again, Tamaki was off in a far corner of the cafeteria. Amazingly, the corner seemed to have become dark and gloomy, much like his mood.

"That's becoming a habit for Tama-chan," Honey pointed out.

"Ah," Takashi agreed.

Haruhi shifted in her chair. She looked at the twins, and of course, they did not look back at her. Once again she seemed not to exist. She turned to Kyouya, opened her mouth to say something, then held her tongue. After the way the twins had snapped at her, she was afraid to say anything about the uniforms. The last thing she wanted was to be snapped at again.

"It's actually bothering me," Kyouya said suddenly, uncharacteristically coming out of the blue with his words. His gray eyes roamed over to the small blond and his cousin. "If you don't mind me asking, why would you wear that uniform?"

Haruhi's heart leaped. The twins' gazes sauntered over to the cousins just as hers did.

"Because it was a gift from a friend," Honey replied easily. His cute voice betrayed the hurt look in his eyes. "And we couldn't afford our own."

"So you'd rather take pity than work to get your uniform for yourself?" Kyouya said, a hint of a challenge edging his monotonous voice.

"You know that's not how it is." Takashi's stern voice said.

"That is how it is!" Hikaru said, almost in a shouting voice. "You think letting this girl," his eyes moved widely over to Haruhi's direction, his glare met her and burned her, "give you pity and buy you stuff is going to change anything? In her eyes you're nothing but _poor_."

"What're you talking about? I was trying to help you- I did it for the sake of the club!" Haruhi yelled, her face flushing in her anger.

Tamaki's head slowly turned and looked at them all.

Nonetheless, Haruhi continued. "I sent you guys the uniform because I wanted to do something nice for you. I wanted to do something to be nice to the people who I'd like to be my friends, no strings attached. But if you honestly think I'm the type of person to 'pity the common-folk' then you've got me completely and utterly _wrong_."

"All you do is walk around here, with your head held high and your fancy clothes on and-"

"Enough."

Hikaru fell silent, Haruhi sat back down in her seat, unconsciously wondering when she had stood up. Tamaki stood towering above her, his violet eyes shimmering.

"We cannot discuss this issue here, in the public eye. We'll assemble in the music room _immediately _after school is over. Until then, I believe it's best we all..." he looked away and winced as if it hurt him to say his next words. "We all distance ourselves from each other..."

"Gladly," Hikaru said, standing up and walking away from the table.

They all stared at the younger twin. Kaoru cleared his throat, stood up and said quietly, "You really...hurt us, Haruhi. I understand where you're coming from...but please, for Hikaru's sake, try to understand where we're coming from too." With that, he followed after his brother.

---

_Dear Haru-chan, _

_There is a such thing called 'pride.' It is a very easy thing to hurt. We know you meant well by sending everyone the uniforms, but sometimes, it is hard for people to understand other's motivations, you know? I'm not trying to scorn you or anything but when the time comes, maybe you'll think about things in a wider view, that's all. Please try to see the big picture for now on. Please consult us if you think you're taking a risky move. _

_-Honey and Mori_

Haruhi sighed and put the paper back into her purse. She was still trying to calm down from the day's events earlier. Now, here she was standing in front of the music room. Her hand shakily opened the door. She stood there momentarily, wondering if it was safe for her to go in without the twins or Kyouya jumping out to kill her.

Luckily, they were sitting in chairs. The empty room seemed to echo their silence. Honey and Mori smiled gently at her when they saw her, but it did not ease the tension she felt in her stomach.

"Please take a seat Haruhi." Tamaki said, his voice even and clear. It gave Haruhi the chills to hear the happy-go-lucky teen so serious. She followed his orders with no objection and chose a seat next to Honey.

Tamaki's eyes swept over them all. Haruhi tried not to see how sad and disappointed they looked. She looked down, wondering what was making her feel this way; shamed and childish.

"I thought we all could've gotten along," Tamaki said. "I thought that even though our worlds are so far apart...we could slowly close the gap. But how can that gap close if no one is trying to push the two walls together?"

"Well, what Haruhi did was reckless and-"

"I was trying to close the gap, like Tamaki-senpai's saying!" Haruhi glared at Hikaru.

"Stop it." Tamaki glared at them both. "You're both wrong. You're working against each other. Haruhi...you were inconsiderate. You automatically assumed that everyone would want the free uniforms instead of just asking if that would be necessary. But, the twins and Kyouya's reaction was all wrong. If you didn't want the uniforms then you did not have to act cold and malicious towards Haruhi. You knew she was trying to help, but you didn't care. Your feelings were hurt and you were blinded by rage."

Kyouya looked away. For once, it seemed that he had no smart comeback. The twins were also silent.

The clock ticked, and that's all Haruhi could hear. She wanted to jump out of her chair and scream 'can't we all just get along?!' but the silence was so thick that she dared not to.

"I think...I think we should all just apologize to each other." Honey suggested.

Silence. Silence so deep that even the ticking of the clock was starting to be drowned out by it.

"Their all too stubborn." Takashi said.

"You're right," Tamaki replied, a bitter unfitting smile plastered on his face. "This isn't worth it, is it? The host club...it'll end before it even begins."

The Suoh walked to his briefcase, opened it and took out some papers. "These were some drafts for the fliers." He took out some more. "This is the threat someone sent me today, saying that commoners like myself should not and never will start a host club." He put them back and started to get some more out when Kyouya stood up and hurriedly walked over to him.

"What?" he asked himself more than anyone else, his glasses glinting. He stared Tamaki in his eyes. "And you have no idea who sent this?"

"N-no..." Tamaki said, obviously intimidated.

Kyouya's eyes narrowed. He turned to face the others. "We can't let this intimidate us. Tomorrow, we'll start on the petition. I'll work on the fliers and make copies. Any objections?"

No one answered, but Kyouya knew that no one had any objections at all. He turned to Haruhi to say, "If you still wish to be in this club, we'll have to communicate. For now on, let's not make any rash decisions alone."

"I understand." Haruhi replied.

"Then, I'll be taking my leave now," he nodded to Tamaki and left the room without another word.

"What...just happened?" Tamaki blinked in confusion.

"Well, I think Kyou-chan just apologized to Haru-chan," Honey giggled. "Tomorrow's going to be big! We'd better get ready." Honey said, hopping out of his chair and waving goodbye, along with his cousin.

Tamaki turned to Haruhi and the twins. Haruhi was shocked still. Her senses seemed to be numbed and slowed. This was all moving to quickly for her. First, Kyouya was angry with her. Then there was a threatening letter to the soon-to-be host club, then Kyouya wasn't angry...now he was...determined?

She blinked and groaned, laying her head in her hands. Why was she stuck with such strange people, she wondered. Plus, weren't the twins still angry with her too? She looked over to them, but they weren't in their seats. "Huh?" her eyes glanced over the entire room until they fell on the twins, who were busy going through papers with Tamaki. Well, at least they were seeming to be enjoying themselves again. Torturing Tamaki seemed to be the cure to whatever ailment they had.

Smiling a bit, she decided she should leave the three of the alone. Maybe the twins weren't going to be able to get along with her, but she figured that they had a pretty good chance of getting along with Tamaki.

Thinking that, she whipped out her cell phone to call her chauffer. When that task was complete, she shouldered her bag and called out to the three people that were now laughing. "Hey, I'm going home you guys. See ya tomorrow."

"Ah! Wait Haruhi," Tamaki said, running up to her. She stiffened. "The twins live a long way from here and they have to take the bus," he whispered. "It would be a good idea to give them a ride. It'll ease the tension between you."

Haruhi sighed, "I guess that is a good idea..." But gosh. She didn't want them thinking she was pitying them again! All she wanted to do was go home without another fight.

"Great!" Tamaki smiled and walked towards the door. He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around to look at Haruhi with a reddened face that she did not notice. "And...thanks for the uniform."

"You're welcome," she replied easily, failing to see how flustered the blond had become. He covered his face with his hand and quickly scurried out of the room, almost falling over himself in doing so.

Haruhi shrugged and turned to the twins. Gathering her courage, she maneuvered over to them. They were packing their bags and when they looked up at her they held no malice whatsoever in their eyes or faces.

"It's later than normal," she began, looking from the floor to them and to the floor again. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous! "If you want...my driver could give you guys a ride home."

She looked up at them quickly, preparing to explain herself thoroughly to avoid their anger. But she found that she didn't have to. They were smiling- in her direction- hell, they were smiling at _her_. Her heart raced as she stared into golden eyes. She couldn't remember Hikaru or Kaoru ever genuinely smiling at her.

"Is this your way of apologizing?" they asked, their sincere smiles turning into sly smirks.

"You could say that..." she replied dryly.

"Awww, little Haruhi wants to make up with us," Hikaru said, ruffling her hair. She smacked his hand away and shook her head.

"Don't get too cocky. This is only so that we can get on with our lives." That said, she turned and started to walk out of the room. They grinned and followed behind her.

Once they were comfortably inside of her limo the twins literally stretched out.

"I could get used to this," Hikaru said, feeling the smooth leather under his hands.

"You said it," his brother agreed.

Haruhi sighed for the umpteenth time that day. She hoped they weren't getting too cozy. Now they would think she would do this for them everyday. Her eyes wandered over to Hikaru. 'Well...maybe I wouldn't mind...when they act calm like this it's not so bad.'

Suddenly, Hikaru was looking at her. Realizing she had been staring, she blushed slightly and looked away.

"It's rude to stare," Hikaru said, his smirk evident in his voice.

"I wasn't."

"Were too," Hikaru said, sliding next to her. "You couldn't take your eyes off of me."

She whipped her head around and moved so close to him that their noses were practically touching. "I wasn't staring Hikaru. I was just looking."

He blinked, feeling her presence surround his so closely that he was taken aback. His body flushed hotly and he looked away, surprised by his own reaction. He had never been so close to girls before. He could remember that he had never had any reason to be.

It didn't help at all when she reached her hand up and touched his hair, her face holding a serious and determined look. When her hand came back down, she was holding a small speck of white fluff. "You had this in your hair..."

"Ah...lint," Kaoru said from behind him, causing Hikaru to jump slightly. His blush deepened, embarrassed because he knew Kaoru was thinking he was acting strangely.

"Say, Haruhi, do you think this petition thing will work?" Kaoru asked.

"Hmm...it should. I've heard of school administrations allowing clubs to be created based off of petitions before. I don't see why Ouran would be any different."

"And...if we wear the uniform, you think it'll help out?"

Haruhi stared at Kaoru momentarily before nodding slowly. "I think so."

He seemed to want to ask something else, but just then the vehicle came to a stop. Haruhi looked out of the window, along with the twins. They each pointed at a small building with many doors, "We live in an apartment."

"Ah...I see..." Haruhi said, though she really did not see at all. She wondered why there were so many different doors and if they actually lived in each of them. If that was the case, then they weren't really commoners were they? Her mind buzzed in confusion, a feeling she hated.

"Well, see ya tomorrow," the twins said, already out of the vehicle. "And...we just wanted to thank you..." "For the uniforms."

They both seemed embarrassed, their eyes not even coming up to meet her. She smiled. "You're welcome. And...I'm sorry for not considering your feelings first."

"Friends?" she asked, extending her hand out.

They both hesitated, then Kaoru nodded and shook her hand. "Friends." He grinned and waved his goodbye to her. He jogged away, leaving his brother behind.

Hikaru looked to be on the verge of crying, his hand extended out in Kaoru's genuine direction and his mouth opened to call his brother back. He turned to Haruhi then, and stared at her as if she were an alien.

"So...are you still angry with me?" Haruhi asked, tilting her head to the side like a small animal trying to hear something.

He rubbed the back of his neck and Haruhi sighed. "It's alright if you are. I did do something pretty stupid..."

Hikaru blinked, his eyes fastened on the girl. He couldn't help himself. A small smile turned into a grin before he burst out in laughter.

Haruhi's face burned, wondering why the boy was suddenly laughing at her. "What? I was being serious!"

"I- I know...and your serious look is just so...hilarious!" he said in between chuckles, then reached down and ruffled her hair, feeling the softness of it and a peachy smell exuded from it. He smiled and nodded, "I'll let bygones by bygones. Friends, as the cute little Haruhi says." he winked and chuckled again. "You're really unlike all those other girls..."

"I am?" Haruhi blinked in confusion, touching her her head where Hikaru's hand had once been.

He didn't answer, instead he grinned and nodded. "See you tomorrow. We'll show those haters they can't disband the host club, ne?"

"Ah...right..." Haruhi nodded too.

---

Haruhi sighed and shifted in her bed. Really, she was all tuckered out. She'd never gotten into so many heated discussions or into so much action before. Now everything was changing, and she wasn't sure if it were for the better or not. She touched the top of her head.

'But...I think I've got a pretty good idea on who's Hikaru and who's Kaoru now.'

Turning to her computer, she logged onto her e-mail account. Dazedly, she stared at the subject line of a particular email. It read: DISBAND THE HOST CLUB.

Her heart skipped a beat as she clicked on the mail. Quickly, she read it.

_Dear Fujioka-san, _

_I believe it is in your best interest to tell your friends that this club cannot be formed. Not only is it a club that no one in Ouran wishes for, but it is a disgrace to the name of Ouran itself. There are people in this school that are starting to look down on your name. They are starting to say that you are a disgrace to the Fujiokas for how you are behaving; arguing in the cafeteria and such. _

_I am only looking out for your best interest. Our families are connected, no? _

_I look forward to the decision I know you'll make. _

_-Ayanokoji _

Haruhi's eyes narrowed at the screen, as if she could see through it and burn Ayanokoji with her menacing gaze. She had felt this feeling before, the other day when Ayanokoji had challenged her in the hallway. Now, though, the feeling was even more intense. She understood what had motivated Kyouya to act the way he had earlier in the music room.

The fire in her heart fueled her. Even though she had been previously tired, she practically sprang out of her bed. She moved swiftly to her bag, sifting through the papers that Kyouya had given her. 'All of their contact information...'

Inhaling, she grabbed her phone and dialed Kyouya's number, who dialed Tamaki's number, who dialed Honey's number, who dialed Mori's number, who dialed the twins' number.

"Alright you guys. Tomorrow we're going to do something big," she told them, her voice stern. "We're going to rock the very foundation of that school to the core."

"Hai!" they agreed.

Haruhi smirked. She couldn't wait to see Ayanokoji and anyone else that dared to pick on the host club faces. She would make sure that everyone knew that her club meant business. She would show them just how confident she was becoming in her new friends.

_Nothing _was going to stand in her way.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this. Please tell me what you think, any suggestions, and your nice critiscms. Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you all next time!**


	5. A Dramatic Way to Start

**To show my appreciation for to you guys, I decided to put a guest star in this chapter, and it's a bit longer than the other chaps too. Tell me what you think! Enjoy! **

* * *

Haruhi inhaled deeply as a gust of wind ruffled her hair and dress. Standing in front of Ouran Academy made her feel pretty small, but somehow at the moment it was a content feeling. She almost felt as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Hey! Haruhi!"

Well, _almost. _

"This was a great idea," Tamaki said, beaming for all he was worth. "I really like these outfits. The females seem to be even more interested than I thought they would be!"

"I'm glad for you, Senpai." Haruhi replied with a small smile. It was true; things were going even better than any of them had expected. She had stayed up nearly all night making preparations for the day, and then she had woke up early to make sure everything would go smoothly. With the help of everyone else (but mostly Kyouya) everything was going according to plan.

It was hard to make a grand entrance in Ouran, being that everyone was the son or daughter of someone rich. They all rode to school in expensive cars and wore the finest garments.

Of course, there was the school uniform. There was no rule against coming early to school not dressed in the proper uniform. As long as they changed before classes started, there was no problem with how they were dressed.

Speaking of how they were dressed, Tamaki was making the most of his outfit. Since Haruhi wanted to start things with a bang, she'd suggested they all wear something from her favorite clothing line.

What she didn't expect was for Tamaki to look up said clothing line on the Internet and suggest the flashiest outfits he could find.

Nonetheless, Haruhi ordered the outfits and by morning they were delivered to her. She was a Fujioka, after all, and she was one of their most loyal customers. Sometimes having connections weren't a bad thing but Haruhi did decide to pay extra for her orders on such short notice.

"Haruhi, there are a lot of people here now. Perhaps we should start?" Kyouya questioned, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose further.

"Right." Haruhi nodded and took her place in front of the large cherry blossom tree. They were in the garden that surrounded Ouran Academy. It just so happened that a short, yet convenient stage was set up in the middle for the spring performance that would be held for the students later during the year.

Haruhi climbed onto the stage and looked out at the crowd that had gathered. The fliers had actually worked, much to Kyouya's satisfaction, of course. Honey and Tamaki had taken great joy in handing out the fliers to so many girls, surprising Haruhi with their natural abilities to charm the girls. And while they were doing that, the twins had actually joined in as well.

"_It would honor me greatly if you would attend our humble meeting, my princess," Tamaki said, smiling as he slipped the paper into a girl's hand. His blond French hair seemed to be highlighted by the sun, as if the sun itself was made just for the purpose of being Tamaki's spotlight. The girl nodded shyly and blushed, taking the paper and smiling up at him. _

"_Arigato," she said meekly. _

"_No. I'm the one that should be grateful," he replied smoothly, gently putting his fingers beneath her chin and tilting her head up slightly. "because someone as beautiful as you can accept something so trivial from me." _

_He went on to get her to sign the petition to start the club with more flattery. _

'_So he admits that this is a trivial club...' Haruhi thought, sweat dropping at the absurdity of it all and how the girl was so flustered. Turning, she watched as Mori carried Honey on his shoulders to a group of girls that were conversing amongst each other. _

"_Hi!" Honey said, his smile bright as small pink flowers floated around his head. _

"_Oh! Hello," a girl said and her friends giggled. _

"_Would you girls be interested in the Ouran High School Host Club? It's gonna be a lot of fun!" He passed them each a flier. _

"_We could spend time together." Mori commented, and the girl's eyes sparkled when he looked them each in the eye and smiled gently._

"_H-hai..." the girls agreed, nodding, taking turns in signing the petition._

_Haruhi couldn't help but smile. It was a strange, but touching scene to her, and she could see why Tamaki had picked the cousins. _

"_Oi- Ha-ru-hi!" _

_But the twins were a different story. _

"_Shouldn't you guys be passing flyers out?" Haruhi asked bluntly, "We don't have a lot of time before we do this thing and we need as much people to come as possible."_

"_Nah- why should we?" Hikaru purred in her ear, snaking his arms around her shoulders. He whispered, "When we'd rather play with you." _

"_Save it for the customers." Haruhi replied, and pushed his face away. _

"_Aww, you're no fun," he complained, rubbing his face and frowning. _

"_Hikaru, we should show Haruhi what we can do when we put our minds to it, ne?" Kaoru suggested. Haruhi raised her eyebrows. Kaoru smiled and waved his finger, "Just because we always reject girls doesn't mean we don't know how to swoon them."_

"_Oh, really?" Haruhi smirked, "I doubt it." _

"_Ha! We'll show you!" the twins replied, hooking arms with each other, turning, and running off to the biggest crowd of girls they could find._

_Hook, line, and sinker. At times like this, Haruhi loved to get them going. She watched with interest as Kaoru and Hikaru ran full speed towards the girls- and she was still watching when Kaoru tripped over air and fell to the ground face first. _

"_Kaoru!" Hikaru cried, loud enough to attract the attention of the girls._

_Haruhi stopped in her tracks. She was going to see if Kaoru was okay, but truthfully, he didn't look injured to her except for the embarrassed look on his face. She wondered..._

"_Kaoru, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Hikaru cradled his younger brother in his arms and looked at him, tears starting to fill his golden eyes. "Should I get the nurse?"_

"_Is he alright?" a girl asked, as her and her friends ran up to them, concerned expressions on their faces._

"_N-no, Hikaru, I'm fine." Kaoru said in a small voice. "It hurt a little though." _

"_I'm sorry I couldn't catch you Kaoru. It's my fault. If you were seriously injured..."_

"_No! Don't think like that Hikaru. It wouldn't be your fault." Kaoru said, his hands on either side of his brother's face. "Hikaru, I would never blame you for anything." _

"_Kaoru..."_

"_Hikaru!" _

"_KYAAAAAAAH!" the girls swooned, their faces red and their bodies swaying. "Brotherly love!" _

"_Eh?" Haruhi felt a bead of sweat roll down her neck. 'What...the...hell?!' _

_Kaoru's eyes roamed up, as if he were just now noticing the girls presence. "Oh...hi!" he smiled brightly. _

_The girls greeted him and Hikaru, and before Haruhi knew it Hikaru was handing them each a flyer. _

"_We're a part of the host club, so if you'd like to come visit it, we'd be glad to spend time with you," Hikaru said, as he and Kaoru slid up to the girl with the reddest face and cuddled her. "We'll be expecting you," they whispered. _

"_KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" _

"Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club's Meet and Greet." Haruhi spoke into her microphone just as Kyouya had instructed her to do and tried to remember her lines. "This is your opportunity to meet the host club members before our grand opening."

The crowd whispered and commented amongst themselves, and Haruhi wondered if this was such a bright idea after all.

That's when she saw Ayanokoji.

Narrowing her eyes, Haruhi swept her arm out behind her and said, "Introducing, Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi."

The two males came out. "Honey-senpai is the Loli-shota type, known for his cute charm and sweet nature. Mori-senpai is the Wild type, adored for his handsome looks and protectiveness."

Tamaki had suggested that they dressed according to everyone's 'types' which had been made up on the phone just last night. Honey was wearing tan shorts with a blue shirt that had a bunny design embroidered on the back in dark blue rhinestones. His bracelet was made with silver bunny charms that probably cost more than all the clothes he owned.

Takashi was dashing in his leather black jacket and blue jeans. The back of the jacket matched Honey's in that it said 'Wild' and was embroidered with silver rhinestones. His hair was perfectly spiked and a single diamond earring was clipped to his one pierced ear.

They went into the crowd after the girls gave them a round of applause and Haruhi smiled in satisfaction. "Next we have the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru."

The twins came out side by side, looking impeccably identical in every way. "They are each the Little Devil type," Haruhi almost wanted to roll her eyes. That type matched them just a little too perfectly. "for their devilish features and 'playful' ways. They also pour out Brotherly Love from their hearts."

They were dressed in much the same fashion. Their blue jean outfits were form fitting and were made especially for them, compliments of Haruhi. The only difference between them was that Hikaru wore a red bandana around his head while Kaoru wore a orange one. Their jackets were unbuttoned, showing their chests and stomachs because they had not bothered to wear shirts beneath the jackets.

"Next we have Ootori Kyo-"

"Stop right there Ms. Fujioka."

Haruhi blinked and looked into the eyes of a tall man. His eyes were cold and his suit matched his stony expression- jet black but creased down to every inch. There was murmuring in the crowd as everyone started to back away slowly- not wanting to be in the mix of any trouble.

"Yes?" Haruhi asked calmly even though her heart was beating so quickly she feared that even the man could hear it.

"I need to escort you and your friends to the office now."

"But why? Did we do something wrong?"

"The superintendent will talk to you about it so-"

"No! There's nothing we could've done wrong so we shouldn't have to go anywhere. We-"

"Haruhi." Tamaki placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice and demeanor uncharacteristically serious. "We should go. It's best not to cause a scene." When she looked up at him with a still worried expression he forced a smile onto his face and continued, "Who knows? Maybe its nothing bad!"

Though they all knew that Tamaki's words were probably far from reality, it was a comforting thought. Sighing, they all walked with the tall man into the building, bidding the girls farewell and telling them to come to the grand opening.

But just before she was all the way inside of the building, she saw Ayanokoji. Her smirk was a dead give away and Haruhi found herself wishing she could take her arm and erase the girl from existence.

"We should've known this club would get us kicked out of Ouran," Hikaru commented on the way there, his hands stuffed into his pocket.

"We- we won't get kicked out! Don't be preposterous!" Tamaki replied. "...will we?"

"Of course not." Kyouya and Haruhi said in unison, despite the fact that they both weren't so sure anymore.

They went into the Superintendent's office. A man in a swivel chair greeted them and told them to take their seats. Sitting next to him was a girl with long cinnamon-colored hair with a bright red ribbon. She sipped at her tea while she eyed the boys and Haruhi with calculating eyes. Haruhi recognized her as the superintendent's daughter but could not place a name on her; she only knew her last name because of her father.

"Houshakuji-san?" Haruhi asked, laying her hands in her lap like she was taught to do when in the presence of someone of high status. "May I ask why you called us here?"

"Fujioka-san...first, I'd like you to explain to me what is was you were doing out there."

"We were supporting the host club."

"I wasn't aware that this school had such a club, Fujioka-san."

"It doesn't." Haruhi swallowed, trying not to take her eyes off of the man despite the fact that she was suddenly terribly nervous. "...yet."

"Oh? Do tell."

"We were starting a petition to get the club started. We passed out flyers and we were just introducing ourselves to the school," she explained, and as she did so the boys handed him a flyer and their petition forms.

"You've already got a decent amount of names, eh?" he asked, seeming genially impressed.

"We weren't doing anything wrong," she continued as he looked over the forms. "It's before school hours so-"

"So you think that automatically gives you permission to dress inappropriately and promote a club without permission?"

"Sir, it was not our intention to-" Tamaki started but was cut off by the man in an instant.

"I'm talking to Fujioka-san."

And that's when Haruhi understood. He wasn't accepting the host club because of the boy's status. If it had been anyone else in the school, their actions would not have been a problem. It would've showed leadership skills and the ability to be go-getters. Not only that, but their clothing was far from inappropriate. It was what all of the students in Ouran wore when they were not wearing their uniforms- designer clothes. What was so wrong with that?

"Are you saying we won't be able to start the club?" Haruhi asked, his voice tight with emotion.

"This school isn't able to tolerate-"

"LIES!"

The whole room was silent as they all stared at the girl with the red bow. She slammed her hands down on her father's desk and stared him straight in the eyes. "Why won't you give the host club a fair chance, Father?! These dashing young men show great potential despite their struggles in everyday lives!"

Everyone blinked in confusion as the girl suddenly stood on the table, her fists clenched in front of her and her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "Yes! I can see it now! The story of six underprivileged yet strikingly beautiful men coming together to make a fantastic club to _make_ something of themselves!"

She suddenly leapt from the desk and grabbed Haruhi's hands in her own. "And the wonderful young maiden that they all fall in love with because she helped them in their time of desperate need- ah, how noble!"

"Eh?!" they all, even her father, was astonished to say the least.

"R-Renge..." her father said, his hand shaking as he reached out to her. "Please calm down..."

"No! We must get this club established immediately or the lives of these boys will be ruined forever!"

"You're overreacting..."

"...it's true!" Honey cried, literally. Globs of tears streamed down his face as he ran to Haruhi and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm in love with Haru-chan and spending time with her through this club the only thing I want! I'll die if I don't!"

"WHAT?!" Haruhi yelled.

"Me too." Takashi said, suddenly standing and by Haruhi's side. "It would be pointless to go on without the club."

"M-Mori-senpai?!"

"While it's embarrassing to admit it, I too am in love with Haruhi." Kyouya said, placing a hand on her shoulder for emphasis. "It is the reason I wanted to participate in the club as well. I now have a meaning to my life..."

"Us too!" the twins said, snaking their way in. "Life is so narrow without her!"

Tamaki and Haruhi stared at their friends in disbelief. That's when Haruhi understood what they were doing. 'Oh- oh thank Kami-sama they aren't serious...'

But unlike Haruhi, Tamaki still did not understand. His violet eyes filled with tears he fell dramatically to his knees and said, "If everyone is in love with Haruhi...then it really wouldn't be fair to stop this club before it even begins..."

"See?! How could you be the one to break these relationships apart?!" the girl with the ribbon shrieked, shaking her father by his shoulder.

"Alright! Alright, I understand..." he sighed. "I'll talk to the staff and see what I can do about getting this club to be open."

"YES!" all of the teens shouted.

"And I, Renge, will be the first customer," Renge said with a wink, smiling at the boys and Haruhi.

And for once, Haruhi was grateful that there were so many weird people at Ouran.

**-The Host Club Is Now Opened For Business-**

On the top floor of the south wing at the end of the north hallway, two grandiose doors opened to a group of handsome young men, ripe for the hosting. Girls squealed when they were temporarily blinded by the shining lights and pure red rose petals that magically floated out of the doorway.

"Welcome," six soothing voices chanted simultaneously.

The girls were amazed as they were swept away by the six most handsome teenage boys they had ever seen. The blond flirted and complimented mercilessly. He seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it. He was Suoh Tamaki.

The spectacled one chatted with the girls about things that interested them, while throwing in hints that the host club would son be selling items from photos to calendars, and that they were planning on taking the girls on a picnic for their first adventure out together. The girls loved him for his intellect and 'cool' way of going about his life. And Renge made it even better by getting the other girls pumped up on the story on "how the host club came to be."

Honey and Takashi charmed the girls with their natural personalities as well. The girls couldn't get over how adorable Honey was or how Takashi treated his cousin with 'older brother like protection.'

Haruhi watched as the twins interacted with their customers. The girls swooned whenever they showed their incestuous behavior or played little tricks on each other or the girls themselves. They also seemed to have gotten the girls in on their little game.

"The Which One Is Hikaru-kun Game!"

It was also used as a strategy to beat Tamaki at his own game.

"We're sure that if you designate us enough, you still won't be able to tell us apart. But it's worth a shot, ne? Hahahaha!"

Haruhi sweat dropped. 'Yeah right...' It had been almost a month since she had first met the twins. The host club had taken awhile to get started, but now that it was up and running there seemed to be hardly any problems. She had decked out the third music room with couches, curtains and other furniture. She wasn't surprised that she had spent a lot of money on the club already. But with all the money that she had saved up from her rather large allowance, she didn't think anything of it. She was just glad that the twins finally seemed to be comfortable, albeit annoying.

As the manager of the host club, Haruhi usually stayed on the sidelines and dealt with minor things, mostly financial. But Kyouya was always on her case and they were on a strict budget thanks to him; and she was plenty thankful for his help.

So, since she had some time on her hands, she walked over to the twins and sat some tea down on their table. "It's not really that hard to tell you two apart."

"Oh?" the twins asked, raising their eyebrows at her.

"Do you mean to say that you can, Haruhi-chan?" Kiyoko asked, looking hopefully at Haruhi.

Haruhi shrugged. "Sure. They bug me enough for me to be able to," she replied bluntly.

The twins gave exchanged glances and looked back to Haruhi. "Then, let's play the game!"

"Oh yes! Let's!" their customers agreed and clapped.

"The first official 'Which One is Hikaru-kun Game' to be played in the Host Club!" the twins chanted, getting up, putting caps upon their heads and switching their positions several times before stopping. "Come one, come all and try to guess!"

Apparently, the twins had made a big scene, because suddenly everyone in the host club was crowded into their area.

"Can you guess, Senpai?" Haruhi teased, only because Tamaki looked like he was really concentrating.

"U-um...is the one on the left Hikaru-kun?" Kiyoko asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Sorry! You're wrong!" the twins cheered.

"Aww..." Kiyoko sighed, "and I thought I was right."

"It's okay Kiyoko-chan! It's so hard to tell them apart," her friend assured her.

The twins smirked and went to either side of Kiyoko. "For trying, maybe we should give her a prize, Hikaru."

"I couldn't agree more. But, Kaoru, do you think she'd be able to handle the both of us?"

"KYAAAAAAAAAH!" Kiyoko and the rest of the twins' customers screamed, their faces going red with passion. "Kiyoko's so lucky!" "I wish they'd do that to me!" "Moe, moe!"

Suddenly, the large doors opened. And when Haruhi saw that red hair she almost wanted to jump up and tell the girl to leave immediately. It was Ayanokoji, looking just as much of a witch as Haruhi thought she was. She hadn't seen her since she'd first met Renge and now here she was.

"Welcome," the boys chanted automatically.

"I'd like to designate Suoh Tamaki-san, if that's alright," she said. Haruhi's heart leapt. What was she up to?

"As long as she doesn't cause trouble, we shouldn't deny her as a customer," Kyouya whispered to her. Haruhi nodded, though she didn't like it.

"Ah! Of course, fair maiden," Tamaki said, and went about his business.

Haruhi frowned.

---

"Ah! How tiring," Tamaki said, slumping down onto the red couch when hosting was finished for the day. "But of course, once again, I've gotten the most customers. Aren't you proud of me Haruhi?!" he said, suddenly off of the couch and next to her.

"Yeah, I guess..." she replied, not really caring one way or the other. "Did Ayanokoji seem up to anything?"

"Ah...no. She was just like my other customers."

"Let's not forget that we're right behind you in designations, Tono!" the twins said, smirking confidently.

"But I'm still the host club King until the day that you get more designations than me!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes, not in the mood for another one of their pointless arguments. "I'm leaving. Hikaru, Kaoru, if you're riding with me then you better hurry up."

It had become a daily thing for Haruhi to drop the twins off at their house. Haruhi bid the others farewell and walked out of the door. Just as she expected, the twins came running out of the door and hopped into her limo. They chatted her head off nonstop, and Haruhi couldn't help but think about how they had grown so much in just a little over a month. They seemed happier and less bitter- they definitely interacted better with people.

"Oh...by the way, I was wondering why you guys lied to Kiyoko-san?"

The twins blinked in confusion and tilting their heads to the side. "What do you mean?"

"When we played your game, you said that Hikaru wasn't on the left, when he really was, right?"

All was silent for awhile as her eyes went to the twins. Finally, Hikaru shrugged and replied, "If she knew who was who, then she would've known that we were lying in the first place. It was just by chance that she guessed right."

"Good point." Haruhi replied, touching his arm and smiling. "At least you were nice about it."

Hikaru nodded and Kaoru smiled.

"Besides, Hikaru, you make it easy to figure it out."

"How do you know I'm Hikaru?" Hikaru asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Kaoru's the same."

"Not really...you're like a level meaner...and you're even more annoying."

Hikaru blinked and stared down at her in disbelief. Finally, he turned his face away from her and said, "You're the mean one."

Kaoru sighed and looked out of the window.

"Don't get upset because it's true," Haruhi teased.

"How rude!" Hikaru and Kaoru said and started to laugh. Haruhi smiled.

* * *

"Welcome home, Haruhi!"

Haruhi sighed as her father's arms wrapped around her. "You too, Dad. You've been gone long..."

"I know! And I'm sorry! But you know, duty calls!"

"Of course," Haruhi replied bluntly, "I'm tired. I'll be in my room."

"You'll meet me for dinner, right?"

"Yeah." Haruhi replied, not looking at him. She started to walk away. She was upset at him for so many reasons that she couldn't even count them all.

"Oh, and Haruhi?"

"Yes?"

"You've been taking a lot out of your bank account recently. Why?"

She stopped and looked at him. He had changed so much since her mother had died...it almost pained her to look at him. Didn't he even trust her anymore? 'Maybe if he were around often enough he would...'

"It's for the host club."

"The host...club?" Ryoji blinked. "You're in a club? And why so much money on your behalf?"

"They don't have much money. They're the scholarship students that I told you about on the phone, remember?"

"Haruhi, they could be just using you for your money..."

"They aren't Dad."

Ranka shook his head. "No. Haruhi, I'm going to be here all weekend. I want you to bring these boys to your Poppa so that I can evaluate them!"

"What?!"

"That's right! I'll make sure these boys are worthy of being in my little girl's presence!"

Haruhi groaned.

It was decided.

**A/N: Yup, I decided to speed up the time process a little. Prepare for some HikaHaru love because we're out of school and into Haruhi's house! See you all next time and reviews, as always, are appreciated! **


	6. Sleepover!

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. All I have to say is, I hope you enjoyed the little HikaHaru I tried to incorporate in this, and- well...I can't say much until you read so enjoy!**

**And also, please join my website if you like anime- which I know you all do! So join please and we'll have fun! .com**

* * *

The atmosphere was heavy, to say the least. Or at least, that's what Haruhi thought.

"It's..."

"So..."

"HUGE!"

"Gigantic!"

"Sugoi!"

"We wanna live here with you!" Tamaki, Honey and the twins cried as they cuddled against her. She sighed and waited for them to stop their antics before gently prying them off and smoothing her shirt down.

Haruhi sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was going to be a long, _long _day. As soon as the boys had saw her home, they had been rather...well....excited. They were like hyper puppies (except Mori and Kyouya, though they did have peculiar sparkles in their eyes). It had been a hard enough time for Haruhi to invite them over in the first place. Having to explain to them that this was not a 'just because we're friends and I think we should hang out every minute of the day' type of ordeal was tiring in itself.

What made it even worse was the way they were so frantic. When they had taken their first steps inside, Tamaki had nearly fainted. Honey had waved his hands above his head, his mouth had formed into a perfect 'o' shape, and weird sounds kept coming out of his mouth where words should've been. This, of course, made it very difficult for Mori to hold onto him. Kyouya had shifted his glasses and coughed into his fist, turning away momentarily, and turned back around only to ask Haruhi exactly how much the picture on the right wall cost.

At this, Haruhi turned to the twins, not sure what kind of reaction she was expecting them to give. At first, they just stared into the open area. The world of Haruhi's everyday life was spread before them, and she wasn't sure if they had gone into culture shock or just had somehow managed to get themselves stuck in time.

That's when Hikaru smirked and ruffled her hair, "Little Ms. Rich Girl, eh? I'm gonna make you buy me a lot of stuff one of these days."

That said, he turned to his brother and grinned. Haruhi blinked and unconsciously reached her own hand up to touch her head. She had been expecting a more...sudden reaction. One that would either make her angry or just want to roll her eyes.

"Oi! Haruhi! Come oooonnn! Give us the grand tour!" the twins yelled.

"Ah- right!" Haruhi nodded and stepped forward. "Eh?" She stared at Mori, who was holding a pale Tamaki in his arms. "Mori-senpai...why are you carrying Tamaki-senpai?"

"He fainted." Mori answered, pointing down at the lifeless blonde's face.

"Just leave him on the floor. The maids pick up the trash," Haruhi replied, waving carelessly with her hand and walking past Mori.

"Ah." Mori said, dropping the younger boy on the floor gently.

"Hahaha! Nice one Haruhi!" the twins cheered, following after Haruhi along with the others.

* * *

_About ten minutes later, the blond idiot raised his head, his eyes full of tears and his hand outstretched in the directions the others had left in. "Mori-senpai? How could you just drop me like that?! M-Mori-senpai?! H-HARUHIIIIIII!" _

"Hmmm...it feels like someone's looking for me." Haruhi said. She shrugged and sipped her hot tea. Finally, the tour was finished. Nothing was broken- at least, as far as she knew there wasn't.

"So, Haruhi, I believe that you said that your wanted to meet with us?" Kyouya asked, setting his cup of tea down on the small saucer. "Or was that a lie just to get us over here?" He smirked, playing on the joke that Tamaki had started them all on.

Haruhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes or give him an obscene gesture. "I'm sorry if I'm taking up your _precious_ time Senpai, but my Dad said he'll be here soon. He had to make an emergency business run."

"Ah, I see." Kyouya nodded and looked down at his cup. He could appreciate a hard working business man. Unconsciously, he narrowed his eyes in mild anger. 'If only we could switch parents....'

"Ne, ne, Haruhi-chan! What does you dad do exactly?" Honey asked, waving his silver spoon around as he spoke, his caramel colored eyes sparkling.

"Ah...well...he's involved in a couple of different projects. Mostly fashion." Haruhi replied.

"Really?" Kaoru asked.

"You didn't tell us that," Hikaru leaned closer to her. He was on the other side of the table, and he was practically standing.

Haruhi shrugged, "It wasn't really something I thought would be an interesting subject." Looking at the twins, she tilted her head to the side and continued, "Hey, you guys are interested in fashion, aren't you? I mean...I saw your drawings..."

"Ah, those were nothing," the pair replied, lazily leaning back in the chairs and giving an air of bravado about themselves.

"Oh, really?" Haruhi mumbled. It was strange, but she wondered what she could and could not say around them. Over the weeks, they had started a decent relationship- one that irritated her sometimes, of course- but a decent one nonetheless. Still, she didn't want any screw ups like she had with the uniform. So now in her own house where there was so many extravagant things she wasn't exactly sure if she could talk about jobs or clothes or jewelry. She didn't want to seem full of herself and she most certainly didn't want to make anyone angry. 'Less they'll irritate me for the rest of the day...' she thought.

"Ooooh! Ha-ru-hiiiiiii! Papa's home~!"

The boys visibly stiffened, and Haruhi looked casually over her shoulder as her father came twirling into the room, his red locks twirling around with him like a free-flowing dress. He stopped dancing long enough to launch himself at his daughter and embrace her tightly, all the while eyeing the boys seated around the table.

"Handsome indeed," he said, mostly to himself and patted Haruhi on the head lovingly. "At least I know you have good taste."

"I don't even want to know what that's supposed to mean." Haruhi answered bluntly.

"Fujioka-san, it's nice to meet you," Kyouya said, standing to his feet and reaching out to shake hands with the older man.

"Ah! You must be Kyouya-kun!" Ranka replied, nodding. "You look exactly how I thought you would when we talked on the phone."

"EEEEEEHHHHHHH?!" Haruhi, the twins and Honey cried, while Mori stood in the background with a question mark above his head.

"Of course I've had contact with _all _of the host members parents. What else would you expect?" Kyouya's smile was so sincere that it was scary to look at, and Haruhi found herself taking two steps back in fear.

"B-but...my Dad is one of the hardest people to get into contact with..._I _can barely get a chance to talk to him!"

"I have my ways." Kyouya assured her.

'T-this is crazy! He really is the Shadow King!' Haruhi thought desperately, a strike of imaginary thunder and lighting coming around Kyouya in her panicked state of mind.

"Oh! And before I forget," Ranka said, snapping his fingers. He turned and looked over his shoulder, "I found something that was just a total mess." He scurried out of the room and left Haruhi and her friends to their thoughts.

"Ah- that's right...we forgot about-" Kyouya started, but was interrupted when Ranka burst back into the room.

"I found this blubbering idiotic _thing _when I came home," he said, literally holding Tamaki by the collar of the poor blonde's shirt and shaking him so that his head waggled back and forth. Tamaki seemed to either be unconscious or was totally zoned out at the moment.

"Ah, _it _belongs to me," Kyouya replied, grabbing Tamaki by his silky hair and dragging him into the room. He said _it _in the same way that Ranka had said _thing_- which as much disgust as possible to put into a word. "Isn't it hideous?" he asked, smiling despite saying such a cruel thing.

At that moment, Tamaki came alive again and he glared at his so-called friend. "KYOUYA! How could you say something like that?" he yelled then whimpered.

"Ooh! It's awake!" the twins cheered, throwing their hands into the air. "Can we pet it?"

"Me next, me next!" Honey said.

"Me too." Mori nodded.

"Stop treating me like a pet!" Tamaki yelled.

Ranka chuckled and clapped his hands together. He looked down at his daughter and said, "Now I see what makes you be around them. You never get bored."

Haruhi shook he head. 'He doesn't know the half of it...'

* * *

Ranka wanted to know _everything. _Where the boys came from, how they met Haruhi, what the host club was really about, if Haruhi would have to pay for more things in the future and so on and so forth. They (mostly Kyouya) answered every question as precisely as they could and in return, the male Fujioka told them to call him Ranka and that, as long as they promised to keep Haruhi safe, he didn't mind her being apart of the club and using her money however she wanted to.

As this went on, Haruhi realized that her father had never had any intention of getting her out of the club. She had _always _used her currency how she pleased, though she had never used it to that extreme before she had met the boys. She concluded that he was just interested. Still, she thought with mild annoyance, if he wanted to be apart of her life then he didn't have to make her bring six idiots into her house and take up her entire day.

"Well, I wasn't planning on doing this, but since I like you boys so much..." Ranka said, "Ta-da! A free trip to my personal beach for all of you!" He pulled out six plane tickets from behind his back and wagged them in front of his face.

"Ranka-san...you do care!" Tamaki cried.

"Nani? Don't be so stupid Tamaki-kun. This ticket is for Haruhi," Ranka replied smoothly, handing the sixth ticket over to the girl and completely crushing Tamaki's spirits.

"Dad..." Haruhi twitched. She sighed, "Here, Senpai. You can have my ticket and I'll buy my own."

"H-Haruhi!" Tamaki cried and went to embrace Haruhi when her father smashed a ticket into his face.

"Don't push your luck, Tamaki-kun, dear."

"R-Raaaanka-san!"

Everyone laughed and Ranka smiled. Actually, a part of him really liked that Tamaki kid, not that he would ever admit it. It was just the way that Tamaki thought he was Haruhi's father that annoyed him.

_Ranka's Flashback_

"_H-Haruhi! How could you leave your father like that? Haruhi? Where are you?!" _

_Ranka watched as Tamaki searched the hallways, earning strange looks from the butlers and maids that were busy doing their jobs. Actually, they looked pretty wary of him...Ranka sweat dropped...actually, he was pretty wary too. _

_And why the hell was he calling himself 'father' and calling his daughter that way?!_

Ranka's eye twitched. No. Recalling that short memory was not good. "So, on a brighter note, I want you all to go find my daughter a nice swimsuit to wear."

"We won't let you down Ranka-san!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, their eyes glowing mischievously as they slithered up beside Haruhi.

Haruhi gulped. 'Oh no...'

* * *

Thanks to Haruhi's father, they were off in a limo and arrived at the largest, best mall they had ever seen in their lives. Actually, Haruhi explained, it wasn't a mall at all. It was wear all of her outfits were made for her and a lot of the other kids that went to Ouran. The host club stood dumbfounded momentarily before nodding their heads slowly and walking inside mechanically.

Then, they let loose.

"Haruhi! Try this on!"

"Haru-chan will look kawaii in this, ne?"

"N-no! That's too revealing!"

Haruhi found her head spinning as she was dragged from outfit to outfit, her body being measured in countless places (mostly places that she didn't want measured in the first place), and her arms turning red from all of the tugging.

Usually, she had enough of a hard time with the people her father had hired to dress her up when he wanted her to go shopping, but now, with the host club it was completely a disaster.

"Haruhi, we've found the perfect one!" Hikaru said, holding up a frilled two-piece suit up for her to see. "See? It'll cover your lack of an upper-body."

"That's insulting on so many different levels," Haruhi mumbled, snatching the swimsuit from him and eyeing it critically. "It's sort of..."

"Stop complaining and try it on!" Hikaru replied, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her towards her changing station.

"Why should I try it on when I can just ask my outfit makers if it'll fit me? That's what they're _for._"

"Because I have to see if it suits you!"

"Yare, yare..." Haruhi mumbled as she stepped into the station. She blinked, then looked around and noticed that only Hikaru was bothering her at the moment. "Eh? Where's Kaoru and everyone else?"

Hikaru shrugged. "Ranka-san took them all to see some outfits for themselves. He told me to make sure that you don't run home while nobody's looking."

"And not Kaoru?"

"He said he needed one of us to see if the outfits would fit the both of us."

"Ah, that makes sense." Haruhi cringed. She couldn't get the top on right with no one to tie the back up for her. She thought of asking Hikaru to help...but then again...he would probably make fun of her about how she was a helpless little rich girl again. But she couldn't go out there with her bikini top falling down either. "I should just throw the darn thing away and put back on my regular clothes," she whispered, irritated.

"You sure are taking a long time," Hikaru said. She could hear the sing-song tone in his voice. "You must want me to come in there."

"Don't flatter yourself," Haruhi replied icily, "I just can't tie these strings. Get someone to come in."

"Hmm..." Hikaru looked around. Awhile ago, there seemed to be a million people that could've helped them out. Now where was everyone when he needed them?! "There's no one here. I think all of your employees went with your dad."

Haruhi sighed. She'd just have to face the consequences later. "Fine, you come in here and do it then."

"Oh, sure," Hikaru replied happily and took a step forward, "Wait-WHAT?!" His face flushed red and he back up quickly. 'What is this girl, crazy? She has no shame!' he thought as big bold letter of **NO SHAME **popped up on the top of his head. "H-Haruhi...you do realize that you're a _female _don't you?"

"Of course. But there's no way I can do this by myself and if no one else can help me then that only leaves you, right?"

"Demo..."

"Geez, don't be a kid Hikaru. We're not going to do anything so come on or I'll take this stupid thing off and go home."

"Like I'd want to do anything with you," Hikaru mumbled. "Fine. I'm coming in."

He stepped into the changing room with his hand over his eyes. "You're not going to punch me if I open my eyes are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

He sighed and opened his eyes. He resisted the urge to gasp. The room wasn't like the ones at his local mall. It was huge, to say the least. Not only that, but it was like a closet. Plenty of clothes that could fit Haruhi were hung up all over the place while mirrors of all shapes and sized surrounded the place.

And he loved it.

The different outfits were excellent. They ranged from extravagant dresses to blue jean outfits. They were all different colors from vibrant red to pure black. The designs were flawless, intricate and dazzling. He wanted to feel the cloth, feel the softness or rough patterns in his hands.

"Hikaru?"

He blinked, snapping himself from his daze and moved towards the girl in front of him, trying not to loose control. Her pale, soft skin was naked to his touch when he reached out and laid his hands on her shoulders. "You sure you won't hit me?" he asked, joking, wanting to break the tension in the room.

Haruhi sucked in air and winced, "Your hands are cold."

"Ah...gomen..." he mumbled, biting his bottom lip, clasping the two strings in his fingers.

She held up the top with her hands to her chest. Suddenly, she felt completely naked. This was why she did not enjoy wearing girly clothes. They made everyone stare at her like a butterfly under a magnifying glass. She tried not to blush; now realizing that asking Hikaru to come in here was a bad idea.

He tried not to touch her unnecessarily as he finished the bow on her back, but every once in awhile his fingers would brush her warm skin. He tried not to let his eyes roam where they shouldn't- like down her exposed spine or the cute way the skirt of the swimsuit fit tightly around her skinny waist.

Hikaru couldn't remember ever being this close to a girl before. What surprised him was that he felt nervous and flustered yet strangely comfortable in a weird type of way. The only person he had ever been so close to was Kaoru and even that seemed different compared to this.

"There. Finished." He announced, letting his hands drop uselessly to his sides and taking a step back with a crooked smile plastered on his face. "Turn around so I can see you."

She did slowly, and the skirt swished around her thighs perfectly. She tugged at the bottom of the skirt in an attempt to make it longer and didn't look him in the eyes. "This is the most idiotic thing I've ever worn, Hikaru."

He grinned, "But you look adorable! You should be a girl more often!"

"I wear a dress everyday in school, you know!"

"You still don't act very girly..." Hikaru teased, wagging a finger at her playfully. He sighed and crossed his arms, "I really should be a designer. You look amazing."

Haruhi smiled, "I think that's the first time you've complimented me."

"Don't be so sentimental, as you would tell me," Hikaru replied, blushing slightly.

"Well," Haruhi turned and looked at herself in a body-long mirror. "You really could design clothes. You and Kaoru seem to be good at it."

"Yeah...we practice on our mom...she's the one that patches all of our clothes up."

Haruhi raised her eyebrows. She remembered the first week the twins were in school, their tattered clothes and how there had been mismatched patches covering holes in their jeans. She swallowed thickly. She couldn't think of anything to say except "Oh..."

"But don't pity us or anything," Hikaru added, "she's nice, but she can't even tell us apart. At least she tries." He shrugged. He didn't know why he was telling her this, but if felt nice to talk to someone about it. He and Kaoru had discussed it countless times...but the words kept spilling out. "I used to hate it. I hated her...I hated anyone that wasn't Kaoru."

"But you don't hate people that way anymore?" Haruhi asked, stepping closer to him.

"No...I guess I don't." He replied.

"That's good. I wouldn't want the wrath of Hikaru coming against me," she said, giggling. "Besides, you're not so bad. Obnoxious and irritating, but not so bad."

"And that's a compliment from the blunt heroine we call Haruhi." Hikaru poked her in her navel, causing her to squeal and glare at him. He laughed lightly and ruffled her hair. "You can be cute sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" she teased, batting her eyelashes, "Is that so, Hikaru-kun?"

He grinned, preparing to give a comeback when suddenly a light shone on the two of them and two loud, obnoxious voices yelled at them, "FREEZE!"

Hikaru and Haruhi sweat dropped. "Yare, yare..." he could hear her mumble.

"HARUHI! Don't worry! Papa's here to save you from that devious Hitachiin!" Tamaki cried, wrapping his arms around her and knocking the breath out of her.

"She's not your daughter, idiot!" Ranka yelled, punching Tamaki full-force and sending him crashing into a nearby mirror, successfully breaking it. He made a huffing sound and stared at Hikaru. "Hikaru-kun, when I said take care of Haruhi, I didn't mean 'take care of Haruhi', ya know?"

"D-demo...look at what she's wearing," Hikaru said.

Everyone stared down at the girl in the bathing suit.

"KAWAII!"

Ranka, and Honey yelled and embraced the girl. Just when she had caught her breath again- it was knocked out of her again.

"Ah, nice choice Hikaru," Kyouya said, shifting his glasses.

"Un," Mori nodded.

Kaoru gave him a thumbs-up and winked. "Went for the frills, eh?"

Hikaru nodded, "Of course!"

* * *

"It's so late," Ranka said as they stepped out of the vehicle and stood in front of the Fujioka mansion. "Do you boys have rides home? I hear commoners don't have chauffeurs."

The boys resisted the urge to sweat drop and nodded. "Yes, I believe we can all find ways home Ranka-san. Arigato."

"Oh, don't be silly, Kyouya-kun. I have an idea- since it's so late and I doubt it'll be nice of me to call the chauffeurs to take you guys home, why don't you spend the night? There are plenty of guest rooms."

'Now won't we just be bothering the maids?' Kyouya thought, his eye twitching. 'The minds of the rich are reckless...'

"That sounds fun! Don't you wanna Takashi?" Honey asked. "We can call our parents and ask if it's okay!"

"Un."

"We couldn't impose," Tamaki said thoughtfully.

"Who said you were invited?"

"Dad." Haruhi said sternly.

"Fine. Tamaki-kun can stay too..."

Ranka smiled. "Sleepover!"

* * *

Haruhi was actually thankful that her father had invited the boys over to spend the night. None of their parents minded, after all. She had been worried about them traveling by public transportation and now they didn't have to.

Besides, what surprised her was that they were actually behaving.

Tamaki was preparing to watch a movie on the big screen while the twins played games in the game room. Kyouya was being forced to sit on the sofa and participate in the movie watching while Honey and Mori sat comfortably next to him.

"Come and watch minna!" Tamaki said, waving over the twins.

"Hai!" they called, pushing Haruhi over to the large furniture.

"Oh! We need snacks!" Honey said, looking over to the only girl in the room. "Could we have some Haru-chan?"

"Ah...sure...I'll just tell the maids," Haruhi replied, nodding.

"Who needs maids when you can have the Hitachiin Super-Snack Attack?" Hikaru and Kaoru grabbed Haruhi's hands and started to pull her up the steps, telling the other that they'd "be back soon" and "not to start the movie."

Haruhi sighed as she led them to the kitchen. When the chef spotted her he wiped his hands on his apron and smiled at her. "Haruhi-san, would you and your friends like a snack?"

"Actually...they want to fix it themselves." Haruhi replied, feeling foolish for saying that. It was the man's job to cook for her and here she was denying his service. "That's alright, right?"

"Anything you wish Haruhi-san." The man took off of his apron and signaled to the other workers in the room that they could also take their leave. When they all filed out, Kaoru slipped on the apron and grinned.

Hikaru asked, "So, where's the food?"

"I...I don't know." Haruhi shrugged, "I barely come into this kitchen." 'And even if I did I still wouldn't know...'

The twins sighed and shooed the "useless girl" into a chair. In a couple of minutes they had gathered up a good amount of junk food including various sorts of chips, dips, and candies. They juggled fruits in their hands and found knives.

"Haruhi, come here a sec." Kaoru said and the girl slowly but willingly obliged. He made her hold the knife in her hand and put an apple in front of her. "Please cut that for me, kay?"

"Um...sure," Haruhi replied, biting her lip. She didn't want to admit that she didn't know how to cut the stupid apple. Turning it around several times, she tried to figure out what angle was best. Then she simply sliced into it quickly.

"Hey! It's an apple, we don't wanna kill it," Kaoru said playfully and grabbed her wrist. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms along her own, holding her hands in place and helped her to chop the apple. "See? Nice and easy. Hikaru, help her while I peel these oranges."

"You sure can be bossy sometimes," Hikaru said as he took his place behind Haruhi. He pressed gently up against her while he guided her hands in position to cut the fruit. "And what kind of girl can't chop a simple apple anyways?"

Haruhi blushed. "It's not like it'll save my life or anything..."

"Au contraire, Little Miss Rich. What if you get stranded?"

"I'll call my helicopter to come get me."

Hikaru smacked himself in the forehead while Kaoru chuckled lightly. He set a bowl on the table and scooped the apple slices into it. "Fruit salad," he said, pointing to the bowl filled with many fruits.

Haruhi smiled and plucked a strawberry from it.

"Aww! Haruhi likes strawberries!" Kaoru cooed. "I wonder if she likes whipped cream too, Hikaru?"

"That'd be devious, Kaoru," Hikaru replied. Haruhi rolled her eyes. She didn't even want to know what they were getting at.

"Anyways...let's go back to the movie room now. Everyone's probably freaking out by now," Haruhi suggested. The twins grinned and nodded.

-Later-

Ranka smiled when he stepped into the room. Haruhi and the other boys were sound asleep. Tamaki was stretched out across the floor. Honey was bundled up in a large quilt while Mori was next to him on the couch. Kyouya was on the sofa beside them, having the whole thing to himself and unbothered by anyone else's limbs. Haruhi was snuggled in between the twins, her head resting gently on Hikaru's chest.

Ranka's first instinct was to make them all go to bed but he thought better of it. What was the point of a sleep over if they all didn't wake up with crooks in their necks?

Smiling, the Fujioka turned off the light and walked away, thinking to himself on how much Haruhi had grown up...and how he had missed it.

Well, at least he had met her new friends. They were strange, but he approved of them.

* * *

**So yeah, I tried to incorporate some of the parents into this chapter to deepen the plot a bit. Next time we're off to the beach! Please leave your comments, suggestions and critiques (and please join my website) Arigato!**


	7. Beach Treat

**Well, her is the new unedited chapter. I miss my BETA! I can't find her. But please enjoy this chapter, even with its mistakes. I edited it a little myself, but it's hard to find my own mistakes, ya know? Plus I have no patience with reading something that I wrote myself...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun was setting, creating an orange glow around Haruhi as she stood on the beach, running a hand through her brown locks and looked up at Tamaki with those large, chocolate eyes of hers. She giggled, which was even more of a melodious sound than that of the piano- a great feat in itself since he'd recently thought that no other sound could be as great as the piano.

He loved the way the sun illuminated her near-perfect features. Her skin was flawless and smooth, and he knew this from when he reached out and extended her hand to him, which she slowly but surely accepted. They walked hand and hand along the beach, the water mixing with the warm sand and tickling their feet.

"This is so perfect Tamaki…it really is," she said, smiling thoughtfully, squeezing his hand gently.

He smiled and moved some hair out of her face, secretly enjoying touching her cute little face. "This is perfect for me because I can be with you, Haruhi," he replied, leaning down. She giggled again and stood on the tips of her toes, her lips coming closer and closer to his the more they leaned towards each other…and soon…they would…

"HEY MILORD! WAKE UP!"

"W-waaah!" Tamaki fumbled and waved his arms around in the air, looking right and left. It was only when the twins started to cackle like a couple of wild hyenas that he regained his sense of self and pointed a finger at them, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "Y-you unscrupulous twins!"

"Would you three stop playing around? We'll leave you if you don't hurry up," Haruhi said. Tamaki finally noticed that she had one foot of the car and the other on the inside. That could only mean that they had arrived at their destination! Upon realizing this, Tamaki forgot his anger at the twins for waking him up in such a rude matter and sprang out of the vehicle.

"I can't believe we made it!" Tamaki cried, spreading his arms out and twirling around. They had been traveling by plane for two and a half hours, and then they'd had to take Haruhi's limo for another two hours to get to her private beach house.

"Yeah…but if you ever mumble my name in your sleep again I'll have my police lock you away for seven years Senpai," Haruhi replied so smoothly that it didn't even seem like she was threatening him. In the background, Kyouya smirked. If he was in Haruhi's financial position, he surely would've said something like that as well.

Tamaki cried as the others moved on. When Ranka stepped out of the limousine he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it Tamaki with a smirk on his face. Hikaru and Kaoru laughed to themselves, wondering why in the world Ranka carried _handkerchiefs _in his pocket in the first place. It seemed a bit unmanly to them, which was funny since Ranka was obviously very _manly. _

They hiked up a short trail that seemed to go up a hill, Haruhi telling them that their summer home was just up the slope. Ranka put on his shades and explained that he would be relaxing the whole time so "no one better get enough guts to do something strange to his daughter while he wasn't looking."

Hikaru and Kaoru ran up to Haruhi, and then each put a hand on her shoulder. "So Haruhi, what's on the agenda for today?"

Haruhi shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever you want I guess…I'm not the one who planned this trip, ya know."

"Aww don't be so boring," Hikaru told her. "I know!" He snapped his fingers, "We can bury Milord in the sand…and make sandcastles with you, Haruhi!"

Haruhi frowned. "Why would you _bury _him? And isn't making sandcastles for children?"

"Well, it's not like we'll bury his head or anything. Just the rest of his body." Kaoru grinned, "Then we'll leave him there for high-tide."

Haruhi sighed. "Kaoru, I really have no idea what you're talking about."

The twins stopped in their tracks. "You mean, you've never buried anyone before?"

"Of course not."

"Have you even made a sandcastle?!"

Haruhi paused to look back at them, "Only because I've had servants to do that for me. They made me big ones when I was young, then I got to play with them."

The twins gaped at them, then rubbed their eyes as if they were just waking up from a dream and cleaned their ears out with cotton swabs that they mysteriously pulled out from behind their backs.

"I'm sorry…did you just said you've never created a sandcastle by yourself before?" Hikaru asked.

"Nani?" Honey asked, his big eyes becoming larger. "Is that true Haru-chan?"

Kyouya, Mori and Tamaki slid up behind their friends, staring at her with strange expressions that she couldn't read.

"Yes, it's true," she replied.

"YOU POOR RICH GIRL!" they shouted, rushing to her and nearly knocking her down when they all tried to embrace her at once. Kyouya scribbled in his notebook quickly while Mori patted her head. Haruhi sighed. She should be pitying them for not having servants and people to do things for them…but here they were pitying her for never making a stupid _sandcastle. Damn poor commoners…_

After that, they practically carried her up to the top of the hill. But they were shocked when they got there. What Haruhi considered to be a small, normal summer beach house, they considered to be a wonderful place where someone could spend their life at. When they went in, they were amazed at the view of the ocean the house provided.

Ranka bid the teenagers adieu for the rest of the day, telling them all to have fun. They all cheered then suddenly became extremely silent. With evil, glowing eyes they turned their heads to look at Haruhi.

The only girl on the trip gulped and took a step back. They were looking pretty scary…especially since they were wiggling their fingers and coming closer and closer…

"Hikaru, Kaoru…don't even think about it!" she protested, backing up.

"But Haruhi, what was the point of buying such a great swimsuit if you won't wear it for us?"

Haruhi shivered. At that moment, the twins snapped their fingers, and out popped a pair of female twins, dressed in sky blue and white maid attire.

"Haruhi-sama, Fujioka-sama told us to listen to whatever Hikaru-san and Kaoru-san told us today, and that today you are not our master," they said simultaneously.

"B-but…." Haruhi cried when the two girls grabbed her wrists.

"Please take her to change clothes," The Hitachiin twins said, suddenly sitting on chairs and sipping at tropical drinks as if letting Haruhi go to her doom was nothing important.

"Hai!" the twins said, whisking Haruhi away.

"Bye Haru-chan! See you at the beach!" Honey said waving.

* * *

Haruhi couldn't believe it. Heck, it was impossible to make sense of the scene playing out before her. The twins were playing beach ball, Kyouya was resting in a chair. Well, that is, if you could call typing on a laptop "resting." Takashi was helping Honey collect seashells. Haruhi was so intrigued by this that she had secretly ordered for more seashells to be ordered onto the beach, and just like that bucketfuls of exotic shells were being placed on the beach for Honey's own enjoyment. Either he didn't realize that she had done that for him, or he just wanted to seem oblivious, but either way he just let out shouts every time he found a new shell, making Haruhi smile.

It was obvious though, that Mori knew what she had done before he had smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back and nod her thanks. Meanwhile, Tamaki was going on and on about how beautiful this all was, and how he'd love to take a look around the surrounding area. Haruhi promised that they could when they were finished with the beach.

She could remember that even when her family had first purchased this place that she hadn't been so excited by the size or the beauty of it. She had thought at the time that it was normal for families to have their own beaches. But now, with a sadness that took her by force, she realized that she had been spoiled and silly for thinking that way. Even now, she was taking the beauty of the beach and her wealth for granted. Seeing everyone have fun like they were…she realized that her childhood and now even her teenage years were slipping away from her.

"Oi, Haruhi! How about that sandcastle?"

She looked up to the twins waving her over. Haruhi smiled and nodded, standing up and dusting the sand off of her. Something told her that it was now or never to have fun…and the twins would probably make her have fun whether she wanted to or not.

Hikaru placed the shovel in her hand and instructed her to scoop sand into the pail with it. She looked at him like he was crazy, but he laughed and showed her by example. When he was finished, he turned the pail over and slowly and gently. Then he removed the pail from the ground.

"Ta-da! One sandcastle!" the twins cheered. They seemed to proud of their little bucket-shaped sand block that Haruhi couldn't tell them that she'd seen _real _looking sand-_castles _before.

"Now you try."

She shrugged and mimicked Hikaru's actions, to which she got lots of claps for. A funny feeling- almost like giddy butterflies- emerged in her stomach. She couldn't remember ever getting clapped for when she was a child. Especially not for something so silly such as building a sandcastle.

She blushed slightly and looked away, "Is it really that good?"

"For you? Yes," Hikaru said, teasing her. She blushed harder and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm going to go see talk Milord into coming over here so we can bury him," Kaoru said.

"Good idea," Hikaru said, standing up, but Kaoru shook his head.

"No Hikaru, you stay here with Haruhi and help her build some more."

Hikaru smiled and nodded. Kaoru left them, and Hikaru turned back to the girl. "You should've seen the look on your face when you made that castle. It was priceless," he laughed, "I wish I had a camera."

"Shut up," Haruhi replied, blushing again despite herself, "I've never made one before…"

He patted her head and shook his head. "That's okay. Kaoru and I will teach you lots of stuff!"

She looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. "Do you really mean that Hikaru?"

He blinked and looked down at him. Her swimsuit was fitting her perfectly, and she looked adorable tilting her head to the side. Her shy, cute side contradicted her usual blunt personality but realized that it all fit her perfectly somehow. She was the only girl that didn't irk him with weird personality changes. Hers seemed natural and smooth… He scratched his head and replied, "Yeah I mean it. I mean, you're the only girl that I'd want to teach anything to Haruhi."

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something else, but just then Kaoru came back with a puzzled looking Tamaki.

"Kaoru said that you guys wanted me to-"But poor Tamaki never finished his sentence, because at that moment the twins attacked, springing on him with the agility and strength of an animal and wrestling him to the ground.

About a half hour later, Tamaki was buried up to his neck in sand and the twins cackling above him. Haruhi just shook her head, an amused smile on her face though she wasn't saying anything. Honey laughed and congratulated the twins…something that made Tamaki only cry harder. Mori was just staring at him despite his pleas for help. Kyouya was the most annoying of all, because he actually had that darn smirk on his face. Even when the water started to roll further and further onto the sand, they didn't mind him. They _all _went off to play some more.

When the sun was setting, they decided to eat. The smells were great, and they gratefully ate the food off of the grill (that was cooked by Haruhi's wonderful servants). Hikaru took Haruhi's grilled shrimp from her plate and ate it. "Mm…yummy." He said, smirking at her pissed off look.

"If you want them so badly, take them," she replied, throwing another shrimp at him.

"No, you can have it back." He threw the shrimp back, but she ducked and it ended up hitting Kaoru on the side of his head.

Kaoru grinned, and together they shouted, "FOOD FIGHT!"

They flipped their plate and splattered some at Honey, who they knew would want to join in on the fun. He laughed and before they knew it, there was a food fight between the hosts. Tamaki had finally set himself free from the sand only because the water had softened the sand enough for him to break free, and walked right into the fight.

Mori easily dodged the food; Kyouya sighed and hid himself under the table.

Everything was fine and dandy…until Haruhi's top popped off…

At first, she gasped and covered herself, bending down and searching in the sand for it. But it was nowhere to be found. "Oh shoot…" she muttered, eyes scanning quickly.

"Hey, Haruhi…what're you- what the hell?!"

"Shut up Hikaru!" Haruhi whispered loudly, clapping one hand over his mouth and using the other cover her chest. "If the others see me…" she blushed. For once, she finally seemed to act like a girl.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Just stand behind me and we'll go back to the changing station. You have clothes there, right?"

She nodded and stood behind him. They stood up and walked backwards…and they would've made it too had it not been for Tamaki. "Hey- where're you taking Haruhi?!"

"N-nowhere!" Hikaru shouted.

"And how come she's standing behind you like that?" Honey asked, innocently blinking his eyes.

"B-because…"

Hikaru flashed a look at Kaoru that screamed _PLEASE HELP ME! _And his twin nodded and screamed suddenly. Tamaki and Honey's attention immediately went to Kaoru, who fell to the ground and made fake tears pop out of his golden eyes.

Meanwhile, Haruhi and Hikaru hightailed it out of there. When they got to the changing station, Haruhi slipped on a t-shirt, and Hikaru realized that this meant that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath her clothes…which made him want to fidget for some reason.

"I really owe Kaoru one for that…" Haruhi said, leaning against a wall. "Tamaki-senpai would've freaked if he found out my top was missing."

"Heh…yeah…" Hikaru nodded, though he didn't mention that he'd wanted to freak out too.

Haruhi sighed and looked at Hikaru. The wind was starting to pick up since it was getting late, and he still hadn't had a chance to put a shirt on. His bare body glistened with a little sweat, since they had been running to get Haruhi a shirt. "You must be cold…"she said, "I'm sorry. Poor little rich girl, right?" she laughed, "I must be more trouble than what I'm worth."

"I wouldn't say that since you're probably worth like five million dollars or something," he grinned and put a hand on her waist, leading her out of the little hut that Haruhi's family had made a changing station. "Besides, that's just a joke. It's actually kind of cute that you're so-"

"It's not cute!" Haruhi tore away from him and glared at him. "How is it cute that all my life there's been a wall separating me from the real world? I didn't even know until I met you that there is so much stuff that I don't know about _everyday living. _Being sheltered like this isn't what I would call fun, Hikaru."

"And you think not having anything is fun?" Hikaru scoffed. "You've got your own private beach and my family can barely afford to keep the water running! Kaoru and I have to…" he let his sentence trail off when she put a finger to his lips, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry Hikaru," she said, uncharacteristically quiet. She let her finger slide off of his lips and let her hand fall uselessly to her side. "Usually, I'm not o emotional. All my life I was taught to keep my mouth shut and not display so many emotions…but you guys must be rubbing off on me."

He patted her on the head and ruffled her hair, "Don't worry about it." He lifted her head up by placing a finger under her chin "besides, displaying your emotions aren't a crime, ya know? We both should've done that a long time ago…"

Haruhi nodded. "Let's go back," she said, turning from him. He stuffed his hands in his shorts pockets. Somehow, it felt like the ending of this conversation should've gone a bit different…

Though, Haruhi did look really cute walking in the moonlight with a t-shirt and a swim-skirt on. Smirking, he ran up to walk beside her.

Meanwhile, Kyouya lifted up a pink bathing suit top up from the sand. His glasses flashed upon recognition of the clothing, and before he could hide it the blond idiot was behind him. "Hmm? Kyouya what's that?" he took the article of clothing and examined it. Tamaki laughed and held it up for Mori and Honey to see. "Isn't this funny? It looks exactly like the one Haruhi was wearing, doesn't it?"

"Un," Mori agreed.

"Yeah it really does!" Honey nodded. "Wait…Tama-chan…" Honey took the top and examined it. Suddenly, his whole face turned red and steam came from his ears. Tamaki blinked in confusion. Mori took the top from Honey and said, "Mitsukuni, it's cake time." Or in other ways _don't let Tamaki know that this is Haruhi's or he'll go crazy…_

"Oh! You're right Takashi," Honey jumped on his cousin's shoulders and they walked away.

"By the way Kyouya," Tamaki turned back to his friend, "Where is Haruhi anyways?"

"Ah…she's probably checking on Kaoru," Kyouya replied.

"Oh! You're right," Tamaki nodded, "that paper-cut must've been pretty bad since he made a scene like that."

"Well, paper-cuts can have that effect Tamaki." Inwardly, Kyouya groaned. _Hurry and bring Haruhi back you idiot…_

When Haruhi did arrive, Tamaki begged her to take a walk with him.

"Ne, Milord, you seem a little too eager to be with our Haruhi," the twins teased, wrapping their arms around the girl and swaying from side to side. Tamaki, of course, was steaming.

Nonetheless, they all went for a walk around the place. The twins continued to tease Tamaki, saying that it was as if they were on a "nature walk of death" considering how dark it had become outside. But Tamaki argued back and said that even if it was that he would protect his precious Haruhi from any and every danger.

"Oh really?" the twins looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Of course!" Tamaki boasted.

They snickered and slid away, leaving Haruhi and Kyouya to point of various flowers to Tamaki. A little while later they all heard a sound, as if something was rustling in the plants.

"W-what was that?" Honey asked, looking around with large eyes.

"It was probably just a small animal," Haruhi assure him.

Honey whimpered and held onto Takashi tighter, whose face grew serious. It was dark and he didn't really know why they were out so late in the first place…

Again, the sound was there. This time, though, it was accompanied by a ghoulish sound, like someone moaning. Then, there was a loud shrill scream like a woman screaming. "Huh? But there's no one else here except us…" Haruhi frowned.

"W-what could it be then?" Tamaki asked, touching Haruhi's shoulder. He was completely white with fear and his teeth were chattering.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses and smirked. "It's probably a ghost," he and Haruhi said simultaneously.

Tamaki gasped and nearly fainted. Honey caught Haruhi and Kyouya's drift, then smiled. "Oh! I've heard that ghosts like to eat people on private beaches…"

"W-what?!" Tamaki shot up and ran behind Mori. "M-Mori-senpai! Save me!"

Haruhi felt something tug at the sleeve of her shirt and looked behind her. Hikaru waved her over, so she looked to see if Tamaki was looking, then quickly ducked into the bushes. "You guys…I'm not going to help you give Tamaki-senpai a heart attack."

The twins blinked.

Haruhi laughed, "But I've got to admit. That girlish screaming was a good effect."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other, then back at Haruhi. "But Haruhi…we haven't done anything yet."

Haruhi rolled her eyes, "Oh come on guys."

"No seriously…we were just about to…Kaoru why are you tapping my shoulder?" Hikaru turned to his brother with an angry look.

"I'm not. But you can stop pulling my foot now, Hikaru."

"You guys," Haruhi rolled her eyes, "This is getting ridiculous. I don't fall for silly tricks like this." She looked past Hikaru and Kaoru and was able to see a figure behind them. It had long hair and a hunched figure; though she couldn't see its face at all…she knew it wasn't any of her friends. Her whole face went pale and she backed up. "W-what the…"

The hand reached out and tapped Kaoru on his shoulder. "Hikaru!" Kaoru and Hikaru looked behind him and saw the figure. It wiggled its fingers at them, and let out a low, menacing chuckle.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The twins and Haruhi screamed. The trio scrambled out of the bushes and Haruhi ran straight into Tamaki, who almost fell when their bodies came into contact.

"Haruhi? What's wrong?" Tamaki looked up, followed by Kyouya, Mori and Honey. They all froze. It looked exactly like the girl from _The Ring. _"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The group of teenagers ran, tears coming out of some of their eyes as they jetted out of the place. But just when they thought they'd got away, stopping to catch their breath, the figure popped up out of nowhere. She smirked and reached up.

"DIE ZOMBIE!" Tamaki shouted, swinging a fallen tree branch at the monster, successfully hitting its head. Tamaki felt pretty manly and was about to boast to Haruhi about how he had just saved eveyone's lives but... Too bad for Tamaki…its head popped off and rolled to the ground after he hit it.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The teens ran again, this time not stopping until they back at Haruhi's house, shivering under the covers with flashlights on. Not even Kyouya or Mori got a wink of sleep that night…

--

_Ranka chuckled, placing his puppet's head back on its body. "That'll teach them to stay out past midnight…" _

_--_

It was morning. Haruhi rolled over; moaning and she opened her eyes. She was now pretty sure that she knew what a hangover felt like. Her head was pounding and her entire body ached. All she wanted to do was go to back to sleep but…

"Good morning!" Ranka yelled, swinging the curtains open and bathing the group in sunlight. The group of teens groaned, successfully being awaken by the sudden burst of light and cheerful man. "Everyone had a good sleep, I suppose. Breakfast is downstairs…we have to catch the plane back home though so that you kids can go to school tomorrow!"

For added effect, Ranka slammed the door behind him. The kids groan, their heads pounding. "Your father must be a morning person," Kyouya said, slipping on his glasses. They had all ended up sleeping in the same room again, but this time because they had all been scared out of their wits the nigh tbefore. Of course, Kyouya wouldn't admit it, but he couldn't really explain where that _thing _had come from…and he really didn't want to know.

They shuffled downstairs where a grand breakfast was laid out for them. Ranka was all smiles and cheer, spreading flowers around the whole place like a sugar-high flower girl at a wedding.

"Ne, Ranka-san…why are you in a dress?" Honey asked, chewing a strawberry that had been on his pancake.

Everyone froze. They'd been wanting to ask the same question but were too scared to ask.

"Ohohoho!" Ranka laughed, tugging at the bottom of his night-gown "Well since I am a very successful business man I usually don't dress like this…but when I'm around Haruhi and now, you guys, I'd much rather dress like this! Besides, it's cute isn't it? I tried to get Haruhi to wear one just like this, but she didn't want to. Pity, isn't it?"

Six light bulbs glowed in the minds of the six boys. _Ah…so that's why he had a handkerchief…_

On the plane back to Haruhi's house, they all slept like they were hibernating bears. It was practically impossible to wake any of them up.

Still,, Haruhi was happy. It was a happiness she hadn't felt since her mother had died. She hoped that it would never fade away.

But when they got to school the next day, they laughed while walking to the third music room. On the door, they found a short, simple, but threatening note.

_We warned you. The host club is nothing but a disgrace to not only Ouran, but females as well. _

That was all it said. When they opened the door, they found that the room was completely trashed. The sofas and couches were ripped and torn apart so that balls of stuffing were coming out. The tables and chairs were broke and all next to the walls, as if someone had thrown them against the walls in a fit of rage.

The expensive china and vases were shattered in a million pieces on the floor. Their drinks and food were decorating the walls, which meant the wallpaper was inevitable ruined.

"No…" Haruhi whispered.

Tamaki bent down and picked up his stuffed animal, a bear with button eyes. It had a tear going straight down from its head to the middle of its stomach. "Why would someone do this?" he asked, turning to Haruhi. They all turned to her.

Haruhi bowed her head and bit her lip.

"It's because I'm a Fujioka."

* * *

**Well, a small cliffy for you all. What did yo expect? For them to be happy all of the time? Please tell me what you think of this chapter!**


	8. The Past Still Haunts Them

**Hello All! After a writer's block, I finally came up with this chapter. It was a very hard chapter for me to write because of the mood I felt I had to set, but I hope that you guys will enjoy it and feel something because of this. Or at least, enjoy my strategy of totally turning the boy's lives topsy-turvy. **

**---**

Silence filled the Third Music Room. It was of course, closed for the day. Haruhi sat in a chair, staring out of the window with a blank expression and glazed eyes. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, resting on her yellow dress. It was her lunch period and yet she was not in the lunch room. She was not hungry. It was a known fact that she could not eat when she was upset.

Though she heard the door open behind her, she did not bother to move. "Haruhi?" a familiar voice asked. She heard footsteps coming closer and closer to her. Outside, a white bird flew in the sky. The sun was high in the sky. She stared. She felt hands on her shoulders. "We're not going to let this stop us Haruhi. All great things are ridiculed at first."

"Tamaki…" Haruhi looked up at him. "You're really angry about this, aren't you?" Her hands unfolded and clenched at her dress. "Because of me…"

"I'm not angry," Tamaki assured her. "Haruhi…I…"

_Bam! _The door slammed open and Tamaki jumped nearly two feet back. "Oi! Har-u-hiii! Eh? Milord?"

The twins entered the room. "What's going on?" They asked, completely oblivious to the mood in the room. "What's wrong, Haruhi?" They looked down at the girl. She looked up at them, then at Tamaki. She spared them a small smile before standing up, smoothing out her dress.

"I'm fine," she said. "I was just thinking…" She looked to Tamaki. "We shouldn't close the host club today. It's nice outside, we should treat the girls to a picnic. And I have to talk to Kyouya about something…where is he?"

"He's in the library." Tamaki replied. Haruhi nodded and raced out of the room. Tamaki and the twins stared after her. Tamaki smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "She's…really strong…"

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at Tamaki. For some reason, they didn't like how he had said that…it almost seemed…_too _loving. Hikaru clenched his hand into a fist and bit his lip. It felt like a shift had just taken place in the entire universe…but he had no idea how or why.

* * *

"Kyouya." Haruhi's breathing was rough. He was typing away on the school's computer. He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows in the process.

"Yes, Haruhi? Is something wrong?"

"I want to host," she replied.

Kyouya stared at her for what seemed like ages. He sighed and pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. "While I can understand your reasoning for this, I have to ask…you do know that this can bring more trouble than what you're looking for, right?"

He noticed that Haruhi had the most serious expression on his face. She narrowed her eyes. "I know." She pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "But it's the only thing I can think of…to help…" she trailed off. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply then exhaling slowly.

Kyouya heard the bell ring for the next period. The teens would have five minutes to get to class…but he could tell that Haruhi had either not heard it or just did not care. He couldn't tell what was going through her head. After they had walked into the clubroom and Haruhi had explained that because she was a Fujioka mixing in with 'commoners', some people disagreed with the host club. Obviously, these people were recruiting others.

But Kyouya did not want the club to stop. He had always strived hard to do well in everything that he had done despite what his family had said about him. His two elder brothers were college dropouts and his father wasn't exactly the best man in the world. He'd always said, "Kyouya, I won't be disappointed if you can't do something. I know how hard it is out there." Or when he was angry, "You'll never be anything, Kyouya. Look at you; you'll end up just like everyone else in the Ootori family. Nothing. Trash."

So Kyouya had earned the best grades, rewards, championships and excelled in anything that he tried. Through this routine, he had earned his scholarship into the prestigious Ouran Academy. He had become friends with Tamaki because Tamaki believed in him (even though Kyouya had pushed him away because he constantly got in the way of his studies). He had helped Tamaki start the host club, and he'd be darned if he didn't finish what he started. His father's words rang in his ears, occupied his thoughts, and nagged him until he wanted to explode. No, he would not let the host club dissolve, at least until he graduated.

Haruhi, the girl who had a huge role in the club, wanted something that could cause her great pain in the future. He knew this but…he could not deny her. She was a smart girl and he'd protect her as much as he possibly could. "Alright," he said standing up, "then you'll be a hostess from now on."

"And I can start today? We can have the club outside today?" She seemed eager. He nodded his consent.

Kyouya looked over his shoulder, "Haruhi, are you sure about this? The people that did this…may do something again. Worse, this time."

Haruhi nodded, "I already spoke to Renge-chan. I made her promise not to tell her father," she walked past him, "because I think something like this…is personal."

Kyouya stared at her retreating figure, going into the crowed of teenagers hurrying to get to class. He got a bad feeling about this. A _very_ bad feeling.

* * *

The twins tried to get her to speak to her. Haruhi was never a very loud individual, but she was not mute either. No matter how much they rubbed up against her, played with her school work, threw paper balls at her, tweaked her earlobes, she did not push them away. Mischief was a way they showed affection. They hadn't had any friends when they were small because of their personal at home problems.

"_Oh! Which one is Hikaru and which one is Kaoru, I wonder? Heh…I just can't tell…" _

"_I'm sorry boys…Mom and Dad…we don't have enough money to get you nice clothes. Instead, isn't what I made you nice?" She asked, holding up the ugliest sweater they had ever seen in their lives. The sleeves were two different sizes, the collar was large and would drape clumsily around their necks. The fabric was itchy and the whole thing smelled funny. They stared at her with blank expressions. It was the beginning of their silence. They couldn't tell her that the sweater was ugly…they couldn't tell her that they wanted her to be able to tell her apart…they couldn't tell her about the kids at school._

"Ha! What are you _**wearing**__, Hitachiins?"_

"_Haha! You guys are twin idiots. What did ya do? Get dressed in the dark?" _

_Laughter. So much laughter that they couldn't take it…that day, Hikaru fought. He ended up hurt and Kaoru ended up getting punched for trying to help his brother. By the time the teachers pulled the cluster of kids away from each other, it was too late. The damage had been done. That kid was supposed to be their friend. He had betrayed them, and therefore, no one would enter their world ever again. _

_Well, at least until she came into their lives…_

"Haruhi, you're being so _boring _today," Hikaru said, prodding her on her arm with his pointer finger. They were on their way to host. Outside, it was warm but they could feel the late afternoon breeze becoming stronger.

"Yeah, don't let that stupid letter get to you," Kaoru told her, smiling a little for her sake. "Besides, we can fix the club room and get right back on track."

"That's not what's bothering me," Haruhi said. She looked up at them, "Aren't you angry…that someone could treat you guys like this just because you're different. And just because I'm supposed to be 'the cream of the crop' ?"

"_Ch, you guys are poorer than dirt, huh? You probably eat dirt too," the kid said, smashing Hikaru's face into the dirt. "Eat it." _

"_Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!" The kids chanted. Kaoru's body trembled, tears streaming down his face. _

"_No!" he shouted. He collided his body into the other boy's. The boy punched him hard in the stomach. Kaoru clutched his abdomen, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. His mouth was open but nothing was coming out. He could hardly hear Hikaru behind him screaming his name. _

Hikaru's eyes roamed over to Kaoru's. Yeah, it definitely bothered them. But they were determined to be better than those foolish children. They stopped hating their mother and started to learn to make their own clothing. They didn't talk to her or anyone else…but it was a start, at least.

Haruhi had five customers that day. Word hadn't quite spread around the school yet that she was a hostess but she was sure that it would soon enough. At first, she was a bit nervous. But she just talked about her life and her interests while serving them tea. It was actually pretty easy…maybe she was a…

"Natural!" Tamaki said, twirling her around. "You're definitely a natural hostess, Haruhi!"

"Eh…Tamaki-senpai…you're killing me."

He smiled gently and released her from his grip of death. "It was a great idea to have hosting outside. You're so smart, Haruhi," he told her.

Haruhi sighed, "Thanks Senpai…"

Tamaki smiled. He wouldn't mind spending every minute with Haruhi if he could. At least…he'd be able to spend time with someone…

His father had always shunned him. His mother was always sick. She could do nothing. And once, he remembered, Tamaki had thought that she would really die. She was coughing up blood and she was as pale as the moon. And he couldn't help but think…just once…that it'd be good if she would just die. That way, someone would pay attention to him. His father would love him, pat his head and tell him that everything would be alright.

The only person that loved him was his grandmother. She played with him, taught him to play the piano. But when Tamaki was about fourteen she had left him. He didn't know why she had left and really didn't care…she was gone. He was abandoned.

Somehow, though, Tamaki had gained a positive attitude from his grandmother. He tended to his mother when she was sick. He tried again and again to get along with his father. Now, he actually had a relationship with his dad. They got along well and when his mother was well enough, they all went out together.

At least Tamaki had achieved that goal; to become closer to his family. Now he would achieve having his club. That was a fact that he would not allow to become fiction.

Haruhi moved past him, moving over to where Honey and Takashi was hosting. "Having fun, ladies?" She asked.

"Oh, yes!" They replied.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! I told you they'd like the cookies that I baked," Honey said, a smile on his round face.

Haruhi nodded, "They are really good, Senpai. You should bake more often."

Honey grinned, "I bake a lot at home, Haru-chan! Ne, Takashi?"

"Un," Mori nodded.

"_You're so short. And you eat too much; you're gonna be fat Mitsukuni," a boy said. "Give me your lunch."_

"_No!" Honey said, pulling his lunchbox to his chest. "And I'm not gonna be fat."_

"_Your such a girl," the boy said. He pushed Honey down into the snow. It was cold and Honey felt his lip trembling. "Wimp. What're you gonna do? Cry like a little girl?" _

"_No!" Honey yelled, though his tears were about to spill over._

"_Wimp!"_

"_Stop!" Honey said. He swung his little fist at the boy. Unfortunate for him, the boy grabbed Honey's fist, twisted it and punched Honey straight in the jaw. Honey fell to the ground again, crying out in pain. He couldn't fight…he was frozen in fear and pain. _

_Meanwhile, looking from behind a tree, Takashi cringed as the boy ruthlessly kicked Honey in his sides and laughed while doing it. Takashi wanted to do something but he found his feet stuck to the ground. He was terrified. He was supposed to take care of his cousin like his father and uncle had ordered him to…but he just couldn't see why it was his job to do so. How could he help someone when he couldn't even help himself? _

_He couldn't. That was it. And Honey felt too little and helpless to do anything. He always ran to Mori…and Mori always left him alone. They were complete opposites. They hated each other. _

_But one day, they'd had enough. They yelled at each other, threw things and then- it was over. They stopped. That day, they made a pact to grow stronger. For now on, Mori would stay by Honey's side even through the toughest of troubles. And Honey would learn to stand up for himself. _

_They both took lessons in martial arts. They both kept their promises._

"Cake, Takashi?" Honey asked, grinning at his cousin and best friend.

"Ah," Takashi nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem!"

The sky above was growing dark as the closing hour neared. Mori sniffed. "Rain…" he muttered. But there was still one more thing left to do… "Let's play Hide and Seek!"

They twins chorused, "Milord's the seeker!"

"Eh? Why do I have to be?!" Tamaki yelled, frustrated. "I wanted to hide with Haruhi," he complained.

"Too bad!" The twins grabbed her hands and ran off. Tamaki growled and started to count. The girls giggled and scattered. The hosts took some of their hands and ran away with them.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was huffing and puffing behind Hikaru and Kaoru. They were taking her through the maze, and she doubted they knew the way out. Soon, they came across a place filled with roses and a seat.

Haruhi sighed and looked up at the sky. It was gray… she swallowed, "H-hey guys…can't we hide inside? T-that way, Senpai will have an even harder time finding us. Fun, right?" She walked quickly in the school's direction.

"No! It's fine out here," the twins said, grabbing her.

Kaoru blinked, looking down at her worried expression. "Haruhi, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head quickly.

"She's probably just still irritated over this morning, Kaoru," Hikaru said, ruffling her hair.

Kaoru shook his head. "Hikaru…I don't think that's it…"

Hikaru laughed at his brother's foolishness. "Huh?" he extended the palm of his hand out, catching water droplets in it. It was drizzling… "Oh, it's raining."

"I'm going in," Haruhi said, her words coming out so quickly that the twins could barely understand her.

"Wait, Haruhi," Kaoru said. The rain suddenly came down harder on top of them. And then…

"Aah!" Haruhi shouted. Thunder had made its voice known, and soon after that lightening. Haruhi ran as fast as her feet would take her. If she found shelter she knew she would be okay. She could hear the twins shouting her name not too far behind her but she couldn't stop running.

She suddenly found herself falling to the ground, rolling through the wet grass and landing on her stomach. Thunder filled her ears, and she was so petrified that she found that she couldn't move. 'I'm in the storm…I'm _in _the _storm,' _she thought over and over again. She clamped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Haruhi!" The twins shouted. She felt their hands on her body. "Haruhi, what's wrong?!"

"I think she's afraid of thunder, Hikaru!" Kaoru yelled over the storm.

She felt it whipping at her clothes, taunting her. She felt as if it would take her away at any moment. She latched onto the nearest twin. Her salty tears mixed in with the water drenching her face and clothes. It had been a long time since she had actually been in a storm. She was even more disoriented now than what she usually was, hiding under a table in the shelter of her mansion.

"_Mommy! Mommy!" She shouted, running through the halls of the mansion. Every time a maid or someone would catch her she would break free and start running again. The storm was so loud, Haruhi could not hear her name being called. _

"_Haruhi?" Ranka had literally just returned from work. He stared, wide-eyed as his small daughter ran right past him. "Haruhi, wait! Come to Daddy!" he said, chasing her._

_She whipped around, tears in her big brown eyes. "Leave me alone! Go bring Mommy back!"_

"_Haruhi…Mommy can't come back…I'm here for you." He extended his arms out. "Please come to me."_

"_NO!" she shouted. _

Hikaru picked her up. He looked to Kaoru. "How do we get out of here?!" he yelled. Kaoru looked around frantically.

"I…I think it's this way!"

They ran. The storm and the maze didn't mix well. Whose idea was it to play this stupid game anyway?!

Hikaru ended up tripping, falling to the ground with Haruhi still in his arms. They tumbled around before their bodies came to a stop. Haruhi didn't even make a sound. She seemed to be completely paralyzed. "Hikaru! Haruhi!" Kaoru shouted, falling to his knees beside them.

"I'm sorry Haruhi," Hikaru said, pulling the girl close to him again. He said in her ear, tears flowing from his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't let you go back inside. I'm sorry I made you join the host club…I'm sorry…I'm sorry," he hugged her body closer.

Though Kaoru had just realized something very important, he knew this was not the time for Hikaru to be getting so dramatic.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! HARUHI!"

Kaoru could barely hear Tamaki's frantic cries. He looked to Hikaru, "Hikaru, I hear Tamaki. We have to find him."

Hikaru looked up, dazed, and nodded. He picked Haruhi up again and ran in the direction of Tamaki's voice. They shouted so that the blond could hear them and soon Tamaki and the others came into view.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled, surprised that the girl was in Hikaru's arms with her eyes shut tight and her hands over her ears.

"She's scared of the storm!" Hikaru yelled.

"Give her to me," Mori said, already taking the girl from Hikaru. From instinct, Hikaru pulled back. Mori's voice was stern and clear over the raging storm, "I can run faster than you. We need to get her inside." Mori's eyes were narrowed, as if he was prepared to take big measures to get Hikaru to let Haruhi go. Without hesitation, Hikaru handed her over. They all ran, Mori in the lead and outrunning them all back to the school.

By the time they were all back to the clubroom, Mori had Haruhi wrapped in a blanket. The customers were gathered around, fearful looks on their faces. Kyouya got all of their attention, telling them to call their drivers to get them home.

As the storm ended and all of the girls were gone, the hosts tended to Haruhi. She was now functional again, but said very little to any of them. They didn't bother to coax her.

But Hikaru stared outside, sitting in the chair Haruhi had been in that very same morning. His heart ached; he had a scratch on his cheek and blood on his knee from the fall. Kaoru was behind him. "Hikaru?"

"I…I couldn't help her…and I got her in that position in the first place," he mumbled.

"It's not your fault Hikaru. I'm sure that when Haruhi's better she'll tell you herself that…"

"I'm going home," Hikaru was on his feet.

Kaoru watched him walk out of the room. It was the first time he couldn't get through to his brother…and the way that he had held Haruhi and actually _apologized…_Kaoru could tell that things would be different now.

He looked to Haruhi. She looked so small, so fragile. He felt like his heart would burst. He'd wanted to hold her like Hikaru had but…he bit his lip. What could that mean?

Well, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, it could only mean one thing.

And he knew that Hikaru was having that same exact feeling; The feeling that they had never been graced with before.

As he watched Tamaki stroke her hair, he knew that Tamaki was getting that feeling as well.

Kaoru was scared to death. He was very, very scared.


	9. I Will Slowly Realize

**Yosh! I have returned! I'm back in school now, though (Junior year DX I feel old XD) But, I did manage to type this out. I hope that you all approve of it :) I have also added in some special guests for your enjoyment! **

**From My Heart To Yours: Chapter 9: Slowly, I Will Realize**

It was sunny and clear outside; a complete contradiction to the other day. Haruhi sighed, setting her books down on her desk and glancing out of the window. It was almost as if the world were playing some type of cruel joke on her.

Anyways, she hardly remembered what had transpired after her freak out. When she had finally calmed down, Kyouya had been talking on her cell phone, ordering her chauffeur to come and pick her up. Tamaki was holding her close to his body, for warmth (she assumed) and Honey and Mori were staring down at her with sad eyes.

_She could still hear the dying sounds of the thunderstorm; the pitter-patter of rain droplets were actually soothing compared to the obnoxious thunder that boomed whenever it liked. She tried to sit up but Tamaki gently pushed her back down, telling her that she should rest and that her ride would be here soon. _

"_I'm fine, Senpai," she said, sitting up despite his warnings. She winced in slight pain. Though she would never admit it, she was starting to feel the effects of a killer headache. Looking around, she noticed that two people were missing. "Where are Hikaru and Kaoru?" _

"_Ah…they left," Tamaki said carefully. _

Haruhi frowned. Why would they have left? Well…maybe they had had something to do. She smiled faintly, the sad feeling that had been clouding her head all morning slowly disappearing. She didn't know why she had wanted them to stay anyways…

Haruhi waited for them to show up, but soon realized that something was wrong. Even fifteen minutes into their first class the twins didn't show. They were never absent. But, surprisingly, they never showed up to any of their classes. For her lunch period, she tried to locate the other members. She knew that Honey and Mori were still in their classroom, working on a project together. Kyouya was in the computer room…but she had no clue where Tamaki could have wandered off to.

As she walked through the hallways, she couldn't help but think of the twins. Class had actually been pretty…boring without them. She almost laughed out loud at the idea of it; she'd never been bored before she met them. She had never really known the meaning of the word until her life had suddenly become full of their laughter and mischief. Now here she was thinking about them constantly. 'I bet Hikaru would make fun of me if he knew I was thinking this…' she thought, sweat dropping and sighing. 'Now that I think about it, Hikaru makes fun of me way more than Kaoru does.'

Meanwhile, a certain female with long, dark red hair was also walking through the hallways of Ouran. She remembered when, just last week, she sat in a large chair, opposite a male with sandy brown hair and a wicked smile. His two best friends, or henchmen as he liked to call them, stood to his right and left behind him.

"_So, are you with me Komatsuzawa-san?" Ayanokoji asked, folding her hands in her lap neatly and looking at him with her dark eyes. _

"_Please, call me Akira," the president of the newspaper club replied, leaning forward. "I believe I like your plan. It would certainly bring much needed attention to my club. But…wouldn't it cause a problem between me and Fujioka-san? I heard that she has an aggressive personality."_

_Ayanokoji chuckled, while using a finger to brush a stray hair back behind her ear, "Don't worry about her. I assure you, there is nothing that she can do as a threat to you, Akira-san."_

_Akira smirked and held out his hand to Chikage, who handed him a manila envelope. He then passed it to Ayanokoji, who raised her eyebrows in question before taking the envelope. She opened it slowly, pulling out a picture of Haruhi being pushed by the twins and Tamaki. _

_Akira shrugged, leaning back and tucking his arms behind his head, "Random photos of the host club. Perhaps they can be useful to you while we work on our new edition?"_

"_Oh yes," Ayanokoji smiled and nodded, "Very useful, indeed." _

Ayanokoji couldn't help but feel giddy on the inside. That Fujioka, she was going to pay. At parties, she was rude and hostile towards her and then around people she pretended to be nice. She'd always shown her up but now…Ayanokoji chuckled, remembering her little meeting with the females of none other than the girls of Lobelia Academy.

"_I'm sorry, fair maiden, but the girls of Lobelia do not participate in acts of violence. In fact it is quite insulting that you would assume that we would," a boyish-looking female told her sternly, crossing her bare legs over each other. Her two friends, Chizuru and Hinako, mimicked her actions, angered looks displayed on their faces. _

_Ayanokoji knew that she had to steer them in another direction. Of course, that was one of the skills that she'd acquired from coming from such an elite family. It would be easy as pie to get these girls to think on the wavelength that she wanted them to. "I'm afraid you've misunderstood my motives, Benibara-san. I would never hurt anyone. But…" She pulled out her envelope, sliding it across the table to Benio. "I think that you ladies should have a look at this."_

_The leader of the group took the envelope, opening it and slowly revealing the pictures that Akira had given Ayanokoji not too long ago. Their eyes widened in terror as they examined the photos. "W-what is this?" Benio stammered, standing up and nearly knocking her chair over with the back of her knees in the process. _

"_Why are they doing this to that young lady?" Chizuru asked._

"_Tell us what this means," Hinako demanded. _

_Ayanokoji narrowed her eyes, "It means that the Ouran High School host club is making this young lady participate in their club. I don't know why she doesn't use her authority against them, but I do know that it isn't healthy for her to be around filth such as these…__**males**__."_

"_A host club," Benio repeated, balling her hands into fists. _

"_Yes," Ayanokoji answered, "It's quite an insulting club, actually. Making women think that men are superior, showing their 'bravery' and 'superiority.' To be frank, it disgusts me beyond words." _

_Ayanokoji stood to her feet, now able to look Benio in the eyes, "Please Benibara-san…I need your help."_

_Benio looked at Hinako, then at Chizuru, who put a hand on Benio's shoulder and smiled weakly while nodding her head, "I think we should…"_

"_Perhaps we'll be going to the extremity, but in this case, I think it's a necessity." Hinako added._

_Benio nodded, looking back at Ayanokoji, "We'll help in any way possible." _

He was running so quickly that he slammed right into Ayanokoji. They both fell onto the floor. She wanted to scream from frustration but held her tongue. He looked up at her, crystal blue eyes shining and blond hair moving with perfect lusciousness. She couldn't help but blush slightly; she'd never seen him up close and personal before.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he said, extending his hand out to her. "Are you alright? Ayanokoji-san, right?"

"Yes," she replied, allowing him to hoist her back onto her feet. "Suoh Tamaki-san, is it?"

Tamaki smiled sincerely, nodding, "Yes."

"And you are in the host club?" she asked, not quite believing that this dazzling person could be in the club that she was attempting to abolish.

"Yes!" He replied happily. "In fact, I was just off to find Haruhi. If you are sure you're alright, I'll be taking my leave now, Princess."

'To find…Haruhi…' she thought angrily. Why was it always about her?! Why couldn't Tamaki stay and chat? Jealousy boiled within her. As Tamaki continued his trek down the hallway, she watched his retreating figure. She could still feel his soft hand on hers and wanted to replay the look in his eyes and that wonderful smile over and over again.

Instantly, she wanted him.

And so, Ayanokoji had added another reason to break up the host club. She _needed _to get Tamaki away from Haruhi before he could fall in love with her. She _needed _to make Tamaki hers.

She pushed the thought of 'filthy commoner' away from her mind. Really, it had never been about that. Obviously, Tamaki was not filthy in any way. It was easy to forget that he had no money when you looked at him; such a gorgeous creature. Caring too. She smiled.

Yes, she had to have him.

Because really, she was more of a lonely person than she liked to admit.

* * *

"Welcome!" Five voices greeted the customers today. As the host club swept itself into business, some of the girls questioned Kyouya about the whereabouts of the twins. Haruhi listened eagerly as he told them that they were absent from school because they had caught a cold or something of the sort. Haruhi tried to smile and put on her best show for her customers, who were growing in numbers every day, though she was truly worried about the twins' illness.

They were slowly starting to put the club room back together. It was a slow process, but they had at least picked everything up off the floor, gotten some wooden tables and chairs and silver dishes, and replaced the curtains.

When it was finally time for Haruhi to go and get some more tea for her customers, she politely excused herself and walked away. Of course, the boys were mingling around. "You don't seem to be in much of a good mood today Haruhi," Kyouya commented, scribbling something down in his notebook.

"Eh? I don't?" Haruhi turned to face him, and just as she did she saw the doors opening. She saw the red skirts swishing around as the bodies inside of them twirled majestically into the room. Haruhi was sure that she had never seen these ladies before, so it was surprising when the tallest one came up to her and took her hands.

Everyone in the club froze momentarily before the brunette said in a gentle yet somehow stern voice, "Don't worry fair maiden. We're here to rescue you."

"EEEEHHHHH?!" Everyone in the room except the three new girls shrieked.

"E-excuse me but…" Tamaki began, but stopped when the unknown lady turned to glare at him, along with her two friends. They immediately recognized him from the photographs.

"Why don't you get out of our way?" They snapped, causing Tamaki to visibly shrink in size until he was nothing but a chibi of his former self.

"Those uniforms…" Kyouya mumbled.

"You girls are from Lobelia?" Haruhi asked.

"Ohohohohoho!" A high-powered motor could be heard as Renge laughed and sprouted up from the ground like a plant on steroids. "Girls from Lobelia Academy!" The motor stopped and Renge said knowingly, "Girls from the White Lily Club, to be exact."

"Our reputation proceeds us, girls," Benio said with a confident smirk, pulling Chizuru and Hinako closer to her. She then smiled and looked to Haruhi, "Fujioka Haruhi-san, I believe that it was once your dream to go to Lobelia." She extended her hand out to Haruhi, "Then come. Shed the bindings that these horrible males have placed upon you and come back to where you truly belong."

"EEHHH?!" Everyone shouted again.

Haruhi flinched. How the heck did these girls know that she had initially wanted to go to Lobelia, not Ouran? But she had to keep her cool...she knew how the others could over react.

"Is that true Haruhi?!" Tamaki shouted, his eyes already full of tears, "Do you really want to go to Lobelia?"

"Senpai, calm down," Haruhi sighed, "Look, I have no intention of going to Lobelia. I'm comfortable here now."

"Oh, really? Even with this despicable club being such a burden to you?" Chizuru asked.

The room grew silence. Haruhi felt stuck; why was it that everyone wanted so badly to hate the host club? "It's not a burden."

"Even though you feel sorry for these men, you don't have to give your all to them," Hinako said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ladies, you're flustering the fair maiden," Benio told them. She patted Haruhi's shoulder and smiled gently, "We'll come back tomorrow." That said, Benio looked at her two friends and the three girls twirled out of the room in the same fashion that they had entered it.

"And now, Haruhi-chan is faced with a very difficult decision. Go to the school that she's dreamed of or stay here with the host club?" Renge said, speaking into her microphone and slowly making her descent into the ground again.

"Haruhi..." Tamaki said, reaching his hand out to her.

"Please excuse me," Haruhi said, rushing out of the room. She looked down the hallways but there was no sign of the girls from Lobelia. She planned on telling them that there was absolutely no way that she would transfer to Lobelia just because they told her to, but a part of her really didn't want to. She did want to go to Lobelia...but she was fond of Ouran as well.

"Just...fond..." Haruhi mumbled to herself, looking blankly down the long hallway.

"_...so Haruhi, when you're old enough we'd like you to go to Ouran Academy." Kotoko smiled at her daughter. "It'd be good for the family."_

"_Okay Mommy!" _

But she remembered looking at the photographs of her mother going to Lobelia. Haruhi remembered always wanting to feel just as happy as her mother looked in those pictures. After her mother died, she wanted to go to Lobelia even more, but her father would hear none of it.

She'd always been told what to do and how to do it; how to talk around important people, how to hold her silverware, how to do this how to do that. Why shouldn't she go to Lobelia?

Haruhi nearly jumped out of her shoes; she had been so deep into her thoughts that it startled her when her phone suddenly began to ring. "Hello?" she answered.

"Haruhi? Its Kaoru. Hikaru...he's..." Kaoru stopped as if he suddenly became distracted.

"Kaoru?" Haruhi's heart beat so quickly against her chest that it felt as if it could pop out at any moment, "Kaoru! What's wrong with Hikaru?"

That's when she heard the dial tone.

It didn't take long for Haruhi to start running out of the building, calling her chauffeur along the way. She'd go home to change clothes, then she'd make a mad dash to the Hitachiin home.

~Meanwhile~

"Hikaru! I can't believe you just hung up on Haruhi," Kaoru scolded, snatching his phone back from his brother.

"I don't want to talk to her," Hikaru said, hiding his eyes with his bangs.

"And you won't even tell me why." Kaoru shook his head, a small smile playing on his features. He shrugged, "Ah well. Knowing Haruhi, she'll be here in a matter of minutes. Then you can explain to _her _why you don't want to have anything to do with her."

"I never said that," Hikaru mumbled, pulling a blanket over his head.

Kaoru sighed. Hikaru acted like such a baby sometimes. So if Hikaru wouldn't take the next step, Kaoru decided that he would have to help him. He'd thought about their situation with Haruhi all night long. He'd finally come to the conclusion that he was starting to like Haruhi more than a friend, and so was Hikaru. Of course, that would be the reason that Hikaru had ditched school today, dragging his younger brother along with him to miss a day of education.

---

Haruhi extended her fist out and knocked on the door. She was actually surprised by the size of the Hitachiin house. It wasn't as small as she thought it would be. The door slowly opened and Haruhi looked into a pair of golden eyes that, to her surprise, did not belong to Kaoru or Hikaru.

"Oh, hello," the woman smiled and tilted her head to the side. She was tall with short hair the same color as the twins' and wore a long skirt, sandals and a fitted t-shirt. Haruhi felt over-dressed in her expensive designer outfit.

"A-are you Hikaru and Kaoru's mom?" Haruhi asked, though the woman's strong resemblance to them made it obvious that she was indeed their mother.

"Yes. The boys didn't say they'd be having company though," she said, "Are you a friend from school?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry for not introducing myself," she replied, bowing slightly, "I'm Fujioka Haruhi. I'm in the same class as Hikaru and Kaoru."

'Could she be that close to them...using their first names so freely...' their mother thought, smiling a bit at that notion. "Please come in Haruhi-chan," she said, stepping aside so that the Fujioka could enter. "I'm Hitachiin Yuzuha. Oh, the boys' room is right around the corner. You can go ahead." As Haruhi passed by her, something clicked in Yuzuha's mind Something was familiar about her name... 'Wait...could she be Fujioka...as in...' Yuzuha's eyes widened.

"Thanks," Haruhi smiled, rounding the corner. She put her ear to the door, and could barely make out the sound of Kaoru saying something. She wondered what could possibly be wrong with Hikaru.

"Oh, you must be Haruhi," an unfamiliar voice said from the shadows. Haruhi nearly jumped out of her skin. Slowly, an average looking man with a beard and squinty eyes came out of the darkness. His smile was warming though, and his voice was clear and smooth, "I'm their father."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you," Haruhi replied.

"Did I scare you? Everyone says I could've been a ninja in a different life," he said, leaning against the wall. Haruhi sweat dropped. "Anyways, you're here to cheer the boys up, aren't you?," he smiled, and nodded his head, walking past her. "I hope that you can."

Haruhi sighed and turned back to their door. Surely, they had heard her voice by now. And sure enough, before she could even knock, the door opened and an arm pulled her inside.

"Haruhi! You made it," Kaoru said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kaoru?" Haruhi blinked in confusion before looking around, "Where's Hikaru?"

"Under those sheets," Kaoru said, pointing with his thumb to the one bed in the room. Haruhi couldn't help but notice that the size of their bedroom was the size of her smallest bathroom at home, but she ignored that fact as she slowly pulled back the blankets, revealing Hikaru's reddened face.

"Hikaru, are you sick?" she asked, putting a hand on his head in order to check his temperature.

"Y-yeah..." he lied, not looking at her. He swallowed and shivered when she touched him, slipping her hand underneath his bangs and feeling his forehead.

"Well, you are a little warm," she said. "You probably just need rest." That said, she sighed and turned to Kaoru, "I was so worried about you guys today..."

"Aww that's so cute!" Kaoru replied, suddenly nuzzling up against her.

"But Kaoru, you aren't even sick," she pushed him away and stood up. Kaoru smiled at her weakly and chuckled nervously. "I seriously thought something had happened to you guys."

Kaoru smiled at her. In her own little way, she was pouting like a little kid. He looked to Hikaru, wondering if his brother had also noticed this but Hikaru was just staring off into the distance. He sighed; here he had brought Haruhi to him but now Hikaru wasn't even making a move! Well, he decided that he would just have to give Hikaru a little push.

"Hey, come on Haruhi, let's go to the store and get Hikaru something he can get in his stomach without throwing it back up," Kaoru said, reaching his hand out to the girl.

Hikaru's eyes widened then quickly met Kaoru's. He didn't want Kaoru to leave him alone. Kaoru smiled, "Do you want to come, Hikaru?"

Hikaru opened his mouth to speak, but then looked over at Haruhi. His face immediately reddened more before he hid it back under his blankets.

"Ah, guess not," Kaoru shrugged. "Oh well, come on Haruhi."

Hikaru could hear the door close behind his twin and his best friend. An eerie silence filled the room. 'Why is that when I see her my heart races and I can hardly breath?' Hikaru wondered. 'Maybe I really am sick...' he groaned and clutched his pillow. 'This is just too much...and Haruhi's probably mad at me. I left her when she was out of it because of the storm...and if it weren't for me then she would've never joined the host club and have been out in the storm in the first place! No matter how I look at it...' he squeezed his eyes shut, 'Maybe Kaoru doesn't realize it...but we're only a bother to Haruhi...'

He pushed himself out of bed and ran a hand through his hair. He'd be darned if he was going to stay here all alone. Darn Kaoru for leaving with Haruhi. Darn Haruhi for leaving with Kaoru. "Hey, wait up you guys!" Hikaru shouted, running after them.

When he got out of the door Kaoru and Haruhi were standing there with similar grins. Hikaru was breathing heavily, his hand on his chest. He glared at Kaoru, "I thought you were leaving."

"We were, but we knew that you'd want to come along," Kaoru replied.

Haruhi gave him a concerned look, "Are you sure you're well enough to go?"

Hikaru blushed and turned away, not quite ready to look her in the eyes. "Y-yeah...I'll be fine."

Meanwhile, hosting hours were over. The four remaining host club members looked at each other with worried expressions, each wondering one thing. Where was Haruhi?

"I'll call her cell," Kyouya said, taking out his cellular and flipping it open. They all waited with baited breath while the phone rang and rang then, unfortunately, went to her voice mail.

There was once again silence as the boys tried to register what was happening. Then, Tamaki spoke, his voice full of emotion. He ran his hand through his hair, looking at the floor and asked, "Do you...do you think that the host club...is a _burden _to Haruhi?" He looked up at Kyouya, Honey, and Mori.

"Well, if we're being realistic about this," Kyouya said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "Then I'd say the host club does put a lot of stress on Haruhi. She does, of course, give the most financial aide to the club."

"But I think Haru-chan loves the host club," Honey said, hugging his stuffed pink bunny close to his chest. "Ne, Takashi?"

"Un," Mori nodded.

"That may be true..." Tamaki said, his eyes turning dark, "But that doesn't mean that it's good for her. Kyouya, please keep trying to contact Haruhi. Call the twins as well. If you find her, let me know. Please excuse me."

The blond sighed and left the music room. He felt like he'd somehow betrayed Haruhi. To think that the club that he'd started could cause someone pain...it was unbearable.

"Suoh-san?"

He looked up, only to see the girl from that morning. "Oh, Ayanokoji-san."

"What's wrong?" she asked, "You don't look too happy."

"Eh...it's nothing," he smiled weakly, "Please excuse me." He tried to walk past her, but at the last moment she grabbed his arm. He looked down at her and had to suppress a gasp. Her eyes were filled with intensity and her grip was tight.

"Please...you can talk to me..." she assured him. She slowly moved closer to him until she was embracing him, her head buried in his chest. He stared down at her in shock. "Is it about Haruhi-san?"

Tamaki gently pushed her back and looked at her in her eyes. Something...something was wrong...

The red-haired beauty slowly stood on the tips of her toes. She closed her eyes and leaned in until their lips were almost touching...there was a flash somewhere that Tamaki did not see and a low laugh that he was not able to hear.

"Stop," Tamaki said sternly, taking a step away from her. His eyes narrowed in anger, "I'm sorry, Princess. But I can not allow you to do that," he said sternly.

"You're right," Ayanokoji replied, " We have to get to know each other first."

"I-"

She hushed him, putting a slender finger to his lips and smirking, "Don't say it, Tamaki-san." She smiled, then suddenly ran away from him before he could say anything else. She ran around the corner, breathing heavily until she came face to face with Akira. "Did you get the shot?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied, "you were very convincing, though."

"Was I?" she smirked. "Well, make sure that you get that photo where it's supposed to be."

"Of course," he nodded.

She nodded and walked past him in the direction of the front doors of Ouran. She touched her lips with her fingers. "Tamaki..."

~So I can give you my best...Sakura Kiss~

Haruhi had never been to a commoner's grocery store. It had so many things in nice neat packages! The fruit sat out in the open, the food was canned! Where was the fresh croissants and glazed ham? She picked up the package labeled 'Glazed Ham.' The ham was cut into large rectangles, one sitting on top of the other.

"Har-u-hi!" the twins complained.

"Why is your ham so thin?" Haruhi wondered aloud. The twins looked at each other, then burst out in a fit of laughter that Haruhi did not understand. Still chuckling, they grabbed her arms and led her into the next aisle.

"You're so cute Haruhi," Kaoru said.

"Yeah, your face was priceless," Hikaru agreed. Haruhi smiled; he'd finally stopped acting so...strange around her. She had also realized that he probably was never sick, but she decided to let it pass for now. She barely caught the can that Hikaru tossed to her.

"You do know how to cook soup, right?" he teased. She blushed and looked away, mumbling as she walked to the check out line with them. The twins laughed again.

Haruhi had probably never walked so much in her life. They'd walked to the store, and now they were walking back to their home! She would've complained had it not been for their constant teasing.

But, she thought as she listened to Hikaru and Kaoru talk, at least it was a nice day. The sun was about to set, and it was getting a bit breezy but not enough for her to be uncomfortable. Random people were walking around while cars drove past. Some people were walking their dogs or pushing their babies in strollers. It was a scene that Haruhi had never seen for herself before. She found that she enjoyed it.

"Yo, Haruhi," Hikaru said, "Are you even listening?"

"Eh...sorry," she apologized, "I was just thinking about how I've never just gotten to take a stroll before. When I was a kid, I was always playing in my own huge backyard. And now I'm usually too busy to even think about going outside. With the Fujiokas, it's usually all business." They continued to walk, passing an alley when Haruhi accidentally let the bag slip from her fingers. The several cans of soup they had bought rolled into the alley.

"Sorry guys," she said, going after the cans. She bent to pick up the nearest can, when someone else's hand suddenly grabbed her own. She gasped when it tugged at her and a hand wrapped roughly around her mouth so that she could not scream. Her eyes widened in shock. She could hear people chuckling before three people suddenly became visible to her.

"Well, well, what's a cutie like you doin' here?' a guy with a mo-hawk asked, cupping her chin with his pointer and thumb.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes. Maybe if her hand wasn't being covered by the filthy guy behind her, she'd say something like 'well, why are you idiots in an alley in the first place?'

"HEY!"

She could hear footsteps running up. She turned her head, seeing Hikaru and Kaoru out of the corner of her eye. "Get your hands off her," they said in unison. She'd never heard them speak with such maliciousness in their voices before. Their golden eyes seemed to go darker as their anger grew. But Haruhi saw that two of the thugs had a bat, while the other was much bigger than the twins. She wasn't sure about the person behind her, though.

Haruhi shook the hand off of her mouth and shouted, "Hikaru! Kaoru! Get out of here. I'll be okay." Though she could consider that a lie, the last thing she wanted was for them to get hurt.

"Yeah right!" Hikaru shouted, charging at the guy that held Haruhi by her arms. But the guy with bat came at him, only to be knocked down by Kaoru. Their friend kicked Kaoru in his ribcage, knocking the younger twin off of the thug and causing him to roll onto the ground.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru shouted.

"_No!" he shouted. He collided his body into the other boy's. The boy punched him hard in the stomach. Kaoru clutched his abdomen, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. His mouth was open but nothing was coming out. He could hardly hear Hikaru behind him screaming his name. _

'It's him...' Kaoru thought, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Let go," Haruhi shouted. She was able to twist her body around and kick her captor right where the sun don't shine. He shrieked like a little girl and doubled over, then fell to his knees.

She ran over to where Hikaru was helping Kaoru to his feet. The three remaining guys glared down at them. The one with the mo-hawk pointed his bat at them, "Around here, we're known as Death's Messenger. You _don't _come on our block."

"Fuck you," Hikaru spat.

"I'll kill you," Mo-hawk shouted, but his friend grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

"Let them go Jirosu," he said. Jirosu seemed to relax, though he stared at Hikaru with such hatred that Haruhi was afraid he would fling that bat at Hikaru's head at any moment. The large one continued, "But if we see them again, we'll be sure to make quick work of them."

"Get out of here," Jirosu told them. When the twins and Haruhi were nearly out of the alley, he said loudly, "Ouran idiots!"

"What-?" Before Haruhi could say more, the twins took each of her hands and started to pull her behind them, making her run along with them.

They made her run all the way back to their house, then slammed the door behind them. She sucked in as much air as she could before letting it back out, her hand on her heart.

"Eh? Hikaru, Kaoru, what's wrong?" their mom asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Nothing," Hikaru shouted. He grabbed Haruhi's hand and led her back into his room, Kaoru following behind them.

Kaoru gently shut the door and turned back to his aggravated brother, "Hikaru..."

"I knew we shouldn't have taken her out in this bad neighborhood! That jackass hated us from the day he met us. Nothing ever changes," he yelled.

"Hikaru, I'm fine," Haruhi said.

"No you aren't," he said, grabbing her wrists. "See?" he pointed to the bruises that were slowly becoming visible on her wrists were she had been held. "Kaoru," he went over to his brother and lifted up his shirt. He touched the spot where he had been kicked. Kaoru winced. "And you're hurt too."

"No..." Kaoru shook his head, "I'm fine, Hikaru. It's nothing."

Hikaru hugged his brother, "I'm sorry, Kaoru."

"Hikaru..."

"Hikaru, you're taking this too far," Haruhi said. Hikaru whipped around and stared her in her eyes.

"You don't get it, do you? No matter what I do I can't protect you. I even made you join the host club..." Hikaru's shoulders shook. Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill over. "You spent all that money...and you were out in the storm. You should be angry at me. I don't understand why...how you could be my friend..."

Haruhi raised her eyebrows. "Hikaru, I'm your friend because I like you. Even with all of your mischief and your temper." She smiled, "I like you because you're you, Hikaru."

She turned her head to Kaoru, "Just like I like Kaoru because he's Kaoru."

Kaoru smiled back at her. She nodded, then looked back at Hikaru. "If that's the reason why you didn't come to school today, it's an awful reason. You missed a lot of work," for emphasis, she poked him in his chest roughly. "And..." she looked away, "I was really worried about you."

Hikaru blushed and smiled despite himself, rubbing the back of his neck. He should've expected something like this from the blunt Haruhi...

"Ah, speaking of school," Haruhi said thoughtfully, "How did those guys know we were from Ouran, anyways?"

"They went to middle school with us," Kaoru told her. "We...well, weren't the best of friends," he shrugged, "their just jealous. We got into Ouran and get to go to a rich school while their stuck hanging out in alleys."

"Oh, I see..." Haruhi nodded. She smiled, "Well, if everything is okay now, I guess I'll just go home."

"Ah, wait," Hikaru grabbed her hand. He brought his body close to her slowly, though his body was moving at a quicker pace than his mind was at the moment and hugged her from behind. "Thanks...Haruhi."

Haruhi smiled. She was glad that Hikaru finally understood her. _Lobelia is a school for ladies... _Haruhi sighed. She'd always wanted to go to Lobelia. Before she'd started school at Ouran, her father had said that he did not mind if she went. He said that the offer would always be open.

She hadn't thought about it for awhile, but she could still see herself going to that school. She loved the host club and wished them the best but...

Could she really stay in Ouran, knowing that there was somewhere else that she'd rather be?

She wasn't so sure anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Now, if you read the manga then you know how the twins' dad is about him being a ninja. If not, then now you know XD Anyways, we now have some villians, I suppose. Anyone up for some more good guys? ;) **


	10. True Colors

**Please Welcome Back:**

**From My Heart To Yours**

The early morning sun did not provide much heat as it shone down on the world. It was getting colder and colder as the days passed and Christmas neared. Tamaki wondered when the first snow fall would be and if any of his friends enjoyed watching the world become coated in a thick blanket of pure white snow as much as he did.

Then again, ever since the girls of Lobelia had come to pay Haruhi their visit a couple of days ago…things were starting to become a little…weird between his group of friends. Haruhi had explained that she'd left the host club in order to go take care of Hikaru, who hadn't come to school that day because of his illness.

Now, though, there was something different about Haruhi. She had always been quiet, but now she seemed distracted. Sometimes during hosting hours when she did not have any customers to attend to, she would just sit and stare at them. He was really starting to worry about her. The only times she seemed to inch out of her shell was when the twins were around. He was happy that the three of them were getting along well, especially seeing that the twins had someone they could really care about.

"Heh…I remember in elementary school, they socialized with no one," he mumbled aloud. Now that they were in the host club though, that had changed. But…they were _always _around Haruhi. And he wasn't. Tamaki stopped walking. "Why…" 'How could I think of something…so selfish?'

Tamaki was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not even notice a black limo pull up right beside him. "Tamaki-senpai?"

Tamaki blinked and looked up, seeing Haruhi's head sticking out of a window. "Eh? Haruhi?"

"Need a ride?" the girl asked coolly, smiling.

"H-Haruhi…" Tamaki held back tears as he smiled happily, nodding his head quickly up and down. "H-hai!" The host club king slid into the vehicle after Haruhi opened her door for him.

"I don't usually come this way, but I wanted to take a different route to school today since I got up so early," Haruhi explained as the car drove forward. "I didn't know you lived around here though. It's getting cold…I'm glad I picked you up."

"I'm so thankful Haruhi!" Tamaki replied enthusiastically, his earlier depressed mood flying out of the window. "Ah, I was fine walking though. The world looks so beautiful, ne?"

"…I wouldn't know. I've never walked to school before."

Tamaki blinked and looked over at Haruhi, surprised by the sullen tone in her voice. He wondered if he had struck a nerve with her somehow. He couldn't stand seeing her like this; so small and sad.

"_Well, if we're being realistic about this," Kyouya said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "Then I'd say the host club does put a lot of stress on Haruhi. She does, of course, give the most financial aid to the club."_

"_Oh, really? Even with this despicable club being such a burden to you?" Chizuru asked._

"_Even though you feel sorry for these men, you don't have to give your all to them," Hinako said, folding her arms across her chest._

Tamaki tilted his head down, looking down at his hands resting in his lap. Usually, he would have an encouraging word or two to say to Haruhi. But…he could not be much of an inspirational speaker when he was the one causing the problem.

They thanked the driver and got out of the vehicle, walking side by side to Ouran's front entrance. Haruhi wondered why Tamaki had suddenly become so quiet. Had she done something? 'I mean…' she thought, a bead of sweat rolling down her neck 'It's really unnerving when someone so loud is so quiet.'

"Um…are you okay?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Huh?" Tamaki blinked and looked down at her. He smiled and nodded. "Oh yes, I was just thinking. That's all."

Click.

A smirk slowly inched onto Akira's face. Despite the thorn bush pricking him in the side, he couldn't have been happier at the moment! Ayanokoji was going to be so pleased with him.

"Heh heh…" the newspaper magazine president's face slowly turned red and he chuckled, thinking of the female with long dark red hair and piercing eyes. "I hope Ayanokoji-san will want to spend more time with me because of this." 'Not only that…but people will definitely read the newspaper now!'

* * *

They were murmuring. The school was buzzing. Haruhi could feel the eyes of many boring into her back. It was weird. Ever since she had joined the host club she had gotten a lot of attention. Heck, being a Fujioka always brought her more attention than what she really wanted anyways, but this was getting ridiculous.

But it seemed like she was getting _even more _attention than usual today. Every time she turned around, she would have suspicious looking eyes on her. It was getting quite disturbing…

And pretty damn annoying.

"Excuse me ladies," she said to a group of girls that had been staring at her and sharing secret whispers. They jumped, startled, when she had suddenly appeared right next to them. "Would you care to explain why you're pointing and staring at me?"

The four girls exchanged glances before the one with the sandy-brown hair pulled into a tight bun responded. "Well, Haruhi-san…we really were just getting the courage to ask you if you are…dating Tamaki-san." The young girl looked away, her face reddening in her embarrassment.

"No." Haruhi replied bluntly, blinking.

"EH?" The girls froze. "Y-you aren't?"

"No…" Haruhi shook her head. "We're just friends…" Haruhi turned her head and muttered under her breath, "as if I'd date someone so troublesome…"

"But the newspaper picture said that you were dating Suoh and that he was cheating on you with Ayanokoji-san!" The blond haired girl spurted out. Her friends gasped and covered her mouth, turning to Haruhi with shocked expressions.

Haruhi titled her head to the side, frowning. "…what newspaper?"

"t-the school newspaper…" they all answered sadly.

"…This school has a newspaper?"

The group of girls felt a bead of sweat roll down their heads. Haruhi had totally disregarded the fact that there was gossip about her in the newspaper. Sometimes she really was the hardest person to understand…

"But…" the brown haired girl said, narrowing her eyes. "That doesn't change the part of the story where _Ayanokoji _is dating Tamaki."

Haruhi's eyes widened in realization. Ayanokoji….the girl that was trying desperately to disband the host club…

---

"Ayanokoji-san! Is it true? Is it true?!"

She had been hearing this all day long. Some people, of course, were too shy or wary of her to ask, but she could hear the whispers and feel the stares. It was marvelous how things were working out.

"Is it true that you're dating Suoh Tamaki from the host club?"

"Yes," she replied simply, walking away from the group of flabbergasted girls, her long hair swinging behind her back. Let them gossip. Let them spread the rumor. Let it reach the host club. Sure, Tamaki could deny their "relationship." But it would seem as if he were denying her because he was cheating on her with Tamaki.

Ayanokoji knew that it would take a lot more to successfully destroy Tamaki's reputation, but that wasn't what she was after anyways. It was about breaking down the host club's ego, high hopes and dreams, making them sweat then finally picking them off until they couldn't take all of the drama anymore.

In the end, she would get to have her cake and eat it too, since as an extra award for herself she was planning on getting Tamaki to love her.

That's what she was doing now. It could be sabotaging her own plan, but she had to get some information out of him, at least. She had to see Tamaki.

She had found out that he was in the computer lab with that Kyouya guy. Turning the corner, she tucked stray hairs behind her ear. There he was, standing over top of Kyouya, who was sitting at a computer typing away furiously while Tamaki stared on with interested eyes.

Ayanokoji cleared her throat and the two looked up, Kyouya's dark eyes glaring at her and Tamaki's gently and kind.

"Excuse me," she said, bowing politely. She rose back up and looked Tamaki in the eyes, "can I talk to you alone, Tamaki-san?"

Kyouya quickly swiveled around in his chair so that he was facing her. "Is there a problem with speaking in front of me?"

Ayanokoji's sweet façade faltered momentarily as she grew annoyed by the calculating young man sitting before her. She should have known not to try to speak with Tamaki while someone like him was around.

"No…it's not a problem," she replied slowly, "I just wish for our conversation to be between just the two of us." 'And that's the truth' she thought angrily, holding her tongue.

"It's fine Kyouya," Tamaki said, smiling. "I'll be right back."

Ayanokoji had to stop herself from blushing when Tamaki laid a hand on the small of her back, leading her to a more secluded area of the computer lab. He pulled out a chair for her and she slowly sat. He sat in the chair facing her own on the other side of the table.

"Is there something you want to discuss, Princess?" he asked, and she wondered if he had seen the newspaper yet or if he had at least heard about it.

She sucked in a breath, as if she were completely nervous and shaky about being in the whole situation. "You…wouldn't have happened to read the newspaper…" she let her words trail off, looking down nervously at her hands.

She glanced at him and he was staring at her intensely. Finally he answered. "Yes. I have."

Now her heart really _was _racing. The plotting girl knew that she had to be careful with everything that she said. "I don't know where they could've gotten such information from," she continued.

"Perhaps from the kiss in the picture on page two," a familiar voice said just as Tamaki opened his mouth to respond.

Ayanokoji and Tamaki stared at Kyouya, who was leaning against a table. His eyes looked over the only girl and he said, with as much maliciousness in his voice as he could manage without making it seem like there was really anything behind it, "I got tired of waiting."

"Why won't you let me talk to Tamaki-san alone?" Ayanokoji snapped, breaking her cool-demeanor and replacing it with her frustration.

"I am. I didn't know that you two were back here. It just so happens that I needed to come to this section anyways," he said, walking towards their table and sitting the newspaper in question down into it. "What I'd like to know is what would drive the writers of this paper to Photoshop an image of you two like this."

"The image isn't edited," Ayanokoji said, almost giddily. Kyouya raised his eyebrows at her and she continued, now finding that maybe having this irritating snoop around wouldn't foil her plans after all. "This really happened. Right, Tamaki?"

"Yes…but we know that it isn't what it looks like," Tamaki replied.

"Of course," she nodded, "So, there should be no big deal about it."

"That's where you're wrong," Kyouya said. "The article is all about how he's dating both you and Haruhi and how he's a 'commoner that likes rich heiresses' which is completely slandering his name and therefore slandering the host club."

"What are you getting at?"

"We need to put a stop to these articles and such before things get out of hand," the Shadow King explained. "And _you're _going to help us do so."

Ayanokoji let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "I see nothing wrong with these articles. Let the public believe and decide what they want. If you have a problem with this, then _you _fix it. I've already been hurt enough," she looked at Tamaki purposefully, as if he had broken her heart a thousand times in one day.

"B-but don't you want to clear your name as well?" Tamaki nearly shouted, jumping up instinctively.

"My name is clear as far as I'm concerned," she replied evenly.

"W-what?" Tamaki blinked, confused.

She smiled and shook her head. "You'll understand some day."

That said, she turned to take her leave.

---

"Hikaru?"

His heart was beating so quickly in his chest that he could hardly breath.

"Hikaru…? You don't seriously believe that crap do you?"

He clenched his fists, his anger seeming to spread throughout his entire body, making him hot and troubled. He couldn't think, he couldn't breath, he couldn't concentrate.

"Hey. Talk to me, Hikaru."

A hand on his shoulder. But he couldn't calm down. The soothing voice was far away now, the hand was there but he could hardly feel it.

"Who…who would write something like this?" he finally spoke, his voice not even sounding like his own.

"Hikaru, it's just a rumor. You know how kids like to gossip," Kaoru said, his voice worried.

"This is high school," Hikaru spat, turning to his twin, "this is supposed to be an elite school! Why is something like this happening?!"

"Hikaru-"

"It's bad enough that those stupid girls from Lobelia are putting thoughts in her head, but now she'll actually have a reasonto leave here! To get away from…from _this_!" He yelled, slamming down the paper.

"Hikaru, calm down, okay?" Kaoru tried, but somehow he knew it was already too late. Hikaru was about to go off of the deep end. His brother stormed out of the room and marched up the stairs and down the hallway. Kaoru followed behind him.

His face red from anger, Hikaru slammed open the door of the room he had been searching for. He stared at the shocked looking boy sitting behind a desk by a large window looking out into the yard of Ouran. "Are you Komatsuzawa Akira, president of the newspaper club?"

"Um…yes…?" Akira nodded, swallowing a large lump in his throat.

It was all Akira could do to let out a surprised squeak when Hikaru jumped over the desk and clenched the collar of his shirt in his hands tightly. Hikaru shook him violently, his eyes seeming to glow flaming-hot in his rage. "Where the hell do you get off publishing that stuff about Haruhi and Tamaki?" he spat, staring Akira in the eyes.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about!" Akira cried, nearly in tears. He had to think. Or at least stall until he could think!

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Hikaru yelled. He pulled the president out of his chair, only to slam him harshly onto the floor.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru yelled, running over to hold his brother back.

From that angle, Akira could see exactly how he would get out of this hairy situation. That, or Hikaru would kill him.

"I…I wouldn't this if I were you, Hitachiin," he said, trying to sound confident despite the fact that his knees were shaking like crazy. "Look behind you. There's a camera. It doesn't record audio though. I'll show this video to the entire school if you don't let go of me."

Hikaru growled and slowly let him loose. "You just tell me why you would put those lies in that paper."

"They aren't lies. I simply published _gossip. _People made their own inferences based on what was said, but I never said that Ayanokoji and Tamaki are dating, nor did I mention that Haruhi is dating Tamaki."

"You put a picture of Ayanokoji kissing Tamaki and a picture of Haruhi and Tamaki walking together in there and you said some crap about them-"

"I. Said. Nothing." Akira shook his head slowly.

"You-!"

"Hikaru, just leave him alone!" Kaoru said, tugging on his arm.

"You put them in your shady paper one more time and I'll…" Hikaru breathed.

Akira raised an eyebrow. "You'll…what, exactly?" he laughed. "Your broke. I'm not. Remember? You can do _absolutely nothing _to protect anyone."

Hikaru felt a shiver run down his spine.

----

_In retaliation to our paper's latest gossip column, Hitachiin Hikaru, eldest of the 'Little Devil Type' pairing in the school's newest club (the Host Club) savagely attacked President of the Ouran High Newspaper Club, Komatsuzawa Akira, in his office._

_The enraged host transferred into Ouran Academy just a few months ago on a scholarship. It seems that his true colors are now showing; he is very instinctive, his mannerisms are not up to part and he does not think before he acts. _

Akira sat his pencil down, thinking on what to say next. He would talk more about on how Hikaru had almost ripped his head off. He would include the still-shots from the camera that had been in his office of Hikaru on top of him. He would say that Hikaru had threatened him.

Oh yes. This was definitely personal now.

---

**Hello everyone! I'm back with my (unedited) chapter ten! This was to get us all back into the flow of this story. Hopefully, I put in enough information for you guys to remember what's going on. **

**By the way, this all happened during their lunch periods if you wondered where the heck they were XD **

**Except Mori and Honey…cause they are apparently kidnapped in this chapter O_o lol jk jk I'll get them back in the next chapter I promise. **

**If you're still with me, then let me just say that I am SO HAPPY for all of your support and kindness. I will finish this story. Hiatus over, thought I can't say how often I will be updating, kay? But I'll make sure not to make you wait months again XD **

**Thanks everyone! **


	11. Coming To Terms

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, and/or added me to your alerts and favorites! I really appreciate it. And so, I present to you this next argument filled chapter. **

Last time:

_"The image isn't edited," Ayanokoji said, almost giddily. Kyouya raised his eyebrows at her and she continued, now finding that maybe having this irritating snoop around wouldn't foil her plans after all. "This really happened. Right, Tamaki?"_

_"Yes…but we know that it isn't what it looks like," Tamaki replied._

_"Of course," she nodded, "So, there should be no big deal about it."_

_"That's where you're wrong," Kyouya said. "The article is all about how he's dating both you and Haruhi and how he's a 'commoner that likes rich heiresses' which is completely slandering his name and therefore slandering the host club."_

_"What are you getting at?"_

_"We need to put a stop to these articles and such before things get out of hand," the Shadow King explained. "And you're going to help us do so."_

_Ayanokoji let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "I see nothing wrong with these articles. Let the public believe and decide what they want. If you have a problem with this, then you fix it. I've already been hurt enough," she looked at Tamaki purposefully, as if he had broken her heart a thousand times in one day._

"_In retaliation to our paper's latest gossip column, Hitachiin Hikaru, eldest of the 'Little Devil Type' pairing in the school's newest club (the Host Club) savagely attacked President of the Ouran High Newspaper Club, Komatsuzawa Akira, in his office._

_The enraged host transferred into Ouran Academy just a few months ago on a scholarship. It seems that his true colors are now showing; he is very instinctive, his mannerisms are not up to part and he does not think before he acts." -Akira "The Newspaper Club" _

* * *

"Due to the fact that Komatsuzawa-kun has not reported you and that this section of the paper is based off of gossip, you won't be suspended. But if there are any more signs that you've laid a hand on any students then you will be suspended or possibly expelled. Do I make myself clear, Hitachiin-kun?" Mr. Houshakuji, the Superintendent/Renge's father said sternly. He leaned forward, almost daring Hikaru to say anything out of line.

Hikaru nodded. "Hai, Houshakuji-san."

"You are dismissed."

Hikaru stood up and walked out of the office, fists clenched in anger. 'That idiot. I can't believe this…if the host club sees that paper…"

* * *

"Your going to have to make a formal apology."

The room was silent except for the grand clock ticking somewhere in the background. It seemed to match Hikaru's heartbeat; slow and loud…almost frozen in time. He stared at Kyouya with large, unbelieving eyes. "What?" he asked, barely recognizing his own voice.

The host club was closed for the day. From the time Hikaru had walked into his first period class, there had been nothing but pandemonium surrounding him. Not only girls, but boys had also bum-rushed him with questions and accusations. Some of the bolder kids had even called him a savage that needed to learn manners.

"_Ch. The headmasters should've known not to give anyone like that a scholarship. I knew they wouldn't fit in." _The words of a classmate's whisperings rung in Hikaru's ears. In his barely suppressed anger, he was practically trembling now standing across from Kyouya and the others.

"Hikaru," Kyouya said sternly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "If you decide not to do this the club's reputation will soon decrease exponentially. Do you understand? This is what Komatsuzawa Akira and Ayanokoji wants. You'll let them win if you fail to fix this."

Hikaru bit his lip and hung his head. They had worked so hard…all of them…to get the club started, to stitch their small family together. But he couldn't see how a family that would always be together anyways…was worth this kind of humiliation. "I'm…still selfish," he said more to himself than the five people staring at him. He looked up at them, teary eyes blurring his vision. "I won't apologize. I did nothing wrong to that jackass and you guys know it. I was protecting Haruhi. That's it. I won't take that back."

"Hika-" Kaoru tried but Hikaru cut him off immediately.

"I won't apologize!" he yelled, causing nearly everyone to jump. He let out an almost animalistic growl and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I'll go talk to him." Kaoru said immediately, moving towards the door.

"No."

Kaoru blinked and turned around, finding Haruhi grab his wrist. "I'll go talk to him," she stated firmly, looking him in the eyes.

"But…" Kaoru started but stopped when he saw Tamaki shake his head solemnly.

"Hikaru has to know that you won't always be there to chase after him…and that maybe other people will," Tamaki explained. Kaoru's eyes widened as Takashi and Honey nodded in agreement.

Haruhi nodded as well and dashed out of the room. It did not take her long to find Hikaru, who was walking slowly out of the main doors of the school. "Hikaru!" she called, running up to him. "Geez…really…" she looked up at him. He did not look down on her, instead staring out at the distant sunset. Haruhi sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hikaru, don't you think your being a little dramatic?"

He frowned and looked down at her. "Ne, Haruhi…if I quit…I'll have to dye my hair."

Haruhi scrunched up her face in confusion, honestly not knowing what he was talking about. "What?"

"When we first joined the host club…we had a bet that if Kaoru or I quit we'd have to make ourselves look different from each other. If you quit, you'd have to do our homework for a year." Hikaru laughed bitterly and shook his head. "None of this would have ever happened if you had just went to Lobelia like you wanted…"

"Alright," Haruhi shook her head. "You're being ridiculous, Hikaru. Why don't-"

"You want to go to Lobelia, right?" he suddenly shouted, causing Haruhi to step back a bit. He swung around, glaring down at her. "Then why don't you just go? Why did you have to stay here?!"

…_But she remembered looking at the photographs of her mother going to Lobelia. Haruhi remembered always wanting to feel just as happy as her mother looked in those pictures. After her mother died, she wanted to go to Lobelia even more, but her father would hear none of it._

_She'd always been told what to do and how to do it; how to talk around important people, how to hold her silverware, how to do this how to do that._

_Why shouldn't she go to Lobelia?_

She had tried her best not to think about it over the last couple of days. With all of the drama going on, it had been easy not to. But there had always been that thought in the back of her mind. Whenever she passed her mother's picture…

But this was not about that. It was not about her. "Hikaru, though I'm glad that you care enough about me to go and almost beat up Komatsuzawa-san…it really wasn't necessary. I just think it'd be a good idea to apologize. For everyone. They can write all of the lies they want about me. It won't make a difference in the end."

"Yes, it will. And I already said that I won't apologize," he replied, pushing past her.

"Hikaru!"

He did not turn back and Haruhi did not bother catching up to him or calling his name. She could no longer deny it. She really had been considering leaving the host club…leaving the school…leaving them…leaving _him_. But that did not mean that she was prepared to leave just yet, and it certainly did not mean that she would allow their club to crumble so easily.

Turning around, Haruhi went back into the school, now confident in her resolve. Though she was a bit confused about the whole situation, she would not be like Hikaru.

She was a Fujioka. For once, she would not run away from that name.

She most certainly would not run away from this situation.

Slamming into the room, Haruhi searched the face of Komatsuzawa Akira and his two friends. She glared at the two henchman, throwing as much feriousness into her eyes as she could muster, and said between clenched teeth, "Get. Out."

They did not even wait for Akira's consent; the two shared a nervous glance before nodding and practically jogged out of there. The door closing seemed to created a resounding _thump _in the room.

Akira stared at her blankly, watching her clench and unclench her fists. "Ah, Fujioka. I hope you aren't here to retaliate against my papers in the same fashion that Hitachiin-san did." He let out a simple chuckle, leaning back in her brown leather chair. "That wouldn't be very Fujioka-like at all."

"Don't talk to me as if you are above me."

Akira visibly stiffened. Haruhi could see his throat move as he swallowed nervously. She imagined that he had just realized he has been a little too cocky and comfortable. She moved forward, placing both of her palms on the top of his cherry-oak made desk and leaning forward. "Where's Ayanokoji?"

He paled and shook his head, rolling back against the windows he was sitting in front of. "H-how would I know?"

Haruhi sighed and flipped her hair to the side. "Fine." she said, inwardly blanching at her horrible acting skills. Even with all of the people her father had hired, she had never been good at pretending to be flaunty. But this was called for. She would have to do something she hated to do.

Make a threat based off of her family's lineage. 'But since he likes to get other people into trouble…' Haruhi swallowed.

"I wonder…what your father would say about you publishing such nonsense…" she paused to see his reaction. Finding that his eyes grew considerably larger, she continued, "We wouldn't want to give him a call, now would we?"

"N-now wait Fujioka-san!" he said, slamming his palms on the desk and standing up. "The only things said about your club was published in the gossip section! The _gossip _section means that it's only rumors!"

"But you published pictures and failed to say that they were so called rumors! You got Hikaru in trouble and you know it."

"You have no proof," he replied sternly, trying desperately to turn the tables back around on her.

"And you have no business continuing publishing things about us."

They shared a spiteful glare before Akira looked away. Satisfied, Haruhi turned and left the room, closing it gently behind her. She walked back towards the club room, but did not reach it. Tears blurred her vision and her heart was pumping madly in her chest.

'I can't believe I just did that…threatening someone like that…no one deserves to have something held over their head. Now every time he looks at me he'll be afraid all because I might tell his parents all because I can do that. I promised myself I'd never-'

"Haruhi? Haruhi!"

The sounds of Kaoru's voice cut off her thoughts and Haruhi immediately began wiping away her tears. But before she could do anymore, he grabbed her wrists and stared down at her, eyes searching her face. "What happened? Did Hikaru make you cry? Are you alright?"

"I…I just…" her voice was trembling and she shook her head, angry that she was being so weak over such a trivial matter. Such a matter that she could barely understand herself…

Kaoru frowned and pulled her into him. With the combination of him slowly stroking her hair and whispering comforting words, Haruhi found she could not hold back her tears. She clutched his shirt and for once, willingly cried in front of someone.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile slightly, happy that he was the only one sharing this moment with Haruhi.

* * *

"Hikaru, are you angry at Haruhi?"

"No."

"Are you going to come back to the host club? It's been three days…" A crooked smile. "The girls miss you."

Silence. He turns in the opposite direction, pulling the covers over his head. "Goodnight Kaoru."

"Milord's worried about you…everyone is. You could at least talk to them." Biting his lip, he whispered, "You could at least talk to _me._"

"…Is it true? That Haruhi applied to Lobelia?"

"…Yeah. But she says she's not planning on attending."

"She's lying."

"Hikaru-"

"Why else would she apply?"

* * *

"_Thank you so much Kaoru." She said, turning around, smiling. Kaoru smiled back and nodded._

"_Anything for little Haruhi-chan," he teased, ruffling her hair. _

_She turned to go back to her limo, expecting Kaoru to go inside of his house. But he snatched her wrist. She turned around and looked at him curiously. "Kaoru?"_

"_You…wanted to go to Lobelia, right?" _

"…_yeah," she replied, softly. _

"_If you think it's best…if we're causing you too much trouble or even if you just want to see what it's like over there…no one can stop you." _

They left it at that.

**A/N: Ah, yes. Drama, drama, drama. But I have added in a bit of HaruKao, no? X3 And I really wanted to show where Haruhi stands in the little reverse of the plot I have going here. So...until next time, I hope this will hold you over. Tell me if you like? Any suggestions?**


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